OLDHAM 'PALS' WAR RECORD
(during their months on the Somme in 1916)
by
Sergeant Harry Bradley, 24th Manchester Regiment, (Comrades)
and published as a series of articles in the 'Oldham Standard', in 1919.

PRIVATIONS IN THE MUD
PIONEER WORK AND ITS RISKS
A GALLANT OFFICER'S AWARD
BLUFFING THE GERMANS

Part VII

There were no regrets in the hearts of the men leaving Pozieres. The stay of three weeks or a month there had not by any means been been in the nature of a holiday. On the other hand, it had been one of the most uncomfortable and unwelcome tours the men had so far experienced. The deplorable state of the ground was perhaps the main cause of the discomfort. To the civilian mind it is hardly conceivable what a distressing effect six or eight inches of mud have on troops, especially when it is necessary to be plodding through it, working in it, and perhaps sleeping in it every days for a few weeks. There were, however, other factors which made the stay at Pozieres unenviable. These were the lack of reasonable accommodation, the scarcity of rations, the shortage of blankets during the cold nights, the continuous bad weather, and the superabundance of heavy gruelling work the battalion was given to do. These things, along with the frequent and unwelcome attention paid by the enemy's artillery, did not tend to make the sojourn in this particular area happy or cheerful. Small wonder, therefore, that the order to pack up and quit the vicinity was received with thankfulness. Seldom are 'moves' from one place to another appreciated by 'Tommies' on active service. The prospect of a long weary march, carrying the heavy equipment and pack and the ever present chance of being dumped in any old shack or shanty - mis-named a 'billet' - at the end of the march is one with no allurements for the average soldier. But there are occasions when the exception proves the rule, and the order for a move is gladly received. Such was the case at Pozieres. The men knew that it was a hundred to one chance against their being placed under more disadvantageous circumstances at the other end, so the usual 'grouse', which is recognised as a soldier's privilege, was not heard. The battalion was to proceed to a locality styled Paisley Dump. this was neither a town, village or hamlet, and I doubt whether it can boast a place on the map. In reality Paisley Dump was just a line of dug-outs not very far from the villages of Hamel and Beaumont Hamel. Leaving Pozieres, the battalion marched overland through fields, more or less mud-covered, and made a bee-line for Paisley Dump.

It was a wearying march. The mud clung to the man's feet and made marching a toil. In such circumstances the weight of the equipment one carries appears to grow heavier every few minutes until by the time one reaches one's destination it feels like a mountain of lead on one's back. Paisley Dump was hardly of such a commodious or inviting a nature that even the most optimistic could call it select. But whatever its qualities or failures were, the men were glad to arrive there and throw off their equipment and rest a while. With their usual adaptability the battalion settled down and made their quarters as comfortable as possible, and after a meal rolled themselves in their blankets and slept the sleep of tired and weary men. At this place the battalion came under the orders of the 19th Division, and did good work for them digging communication and advanced trenches. The day prior to the battalion's arrival at Paisley Dump the 19th division, along with a famous naval division, under the command of Brigadier-General Freyburg, had made an attack on the enemy's lines and had been entirely successful. From appearances a short distance away from the battalion's dug-outs it was evident that it had been an encounter of a most desperate character. The unburied bodies of hundreds of dead Germans and British soldiers lay about and the whole was a scene of chaos and ruin. It was in this fight that Brigadier-General Freyburg (then a Lieut.-Colonel) won his V.C. He was an officer with a remarkable reputation for fearlessness and bravery, and possessed many coveted honours which had been won at great risk as could be observed from his numerous wound stripes.

Capt. Geo. Barlow Dempsey, M.C., of Middleton was formerly the adjutant of the Pals Battalion. He served in England as a lieutenant and musketry officer to the battalion, and on embarkation to France was appointed adjutant. this position he held until the latter part of 1916, when he was transferred to the 20th Battalion Manchester Regiment. Capt. Dempsey, who has been demobilised only a few weeks, won the M.C. and bar for gallantry in France.

Major Walter Wall, who was a company commander in the Battalion for a considerable period whilst in France. Later he joined the staff of the 7th Division, and after a length of time as Divisional Claims Officer, he was appointed Deputy Assistant Provost Marshal. He is a son of the late Stephen Wall, of Oldham.

The battalion had a stay of less than a week at Paisley dump and during that time they did a great deal of hard work. It was a two hours march to the front line from the dug-outs; the men worked a full eight hours on the work in hand, and then marched two hours back to camp. The men had to carry their own tools to and from their work in addition to their rifles and equipment and the work performed was of a very heavy nature. It will therefore be seen that very little rest fell to the lot of the men about this time, and the strain was beginning to tell on the men of a weaker physique. Many men and officers were obliged to go to hospital and in 'A' Company the loss of officers was so large that at one time only one officer, Lieut. Bateman, was left to carry out the work. A word of praise is due for this young and able officer, who performed almost superhuman work about this period whilst in charge of the company. He was admired and almost worshipped by his men, who would follow him anywhere and stick to a job and finish it no matter how dangerous or distasteful the work might be.

On November 22nd the battalion made a move, proceeding to Mailly-Maillet Wood, near to the village of that name. Owing to the heavy rains the ground was still in a very muddy state, and on the fringe of the wood where the battalion encamped it was several inches deep. In this the men had to erect bivouacs or shelters of some description, and it was a lucky man who was fortunate enough to 'scrounge' a tent.

Whilst the battalion had been wandering round Shamrock Tree, Pozieres, Paisley Dump, and Mailly-Maillet Wood, the 7th Division had been marching down from Belgium to the the area around about the wood in which the 'Pals' were now encamped, so that the battalion now came under the orders of its own Division. This fact was pleasing to all, because every 'Tommy' knows that a battalion is not received or treated in that spirit of friendship or generosity by another Division, such as it can command from its own. When attached to 'outside' Divisions, a Battalion always receives the hard and dirty work, whilst within its own division that work is shared out with a reasonable amount of fairness. Therefore, it was a cheerful reunion to be again with the "good old 7th Division."

With the knowledge that it was probable that a stay of considerable length would be made at Mailly-Maillet Wood, the commanding officer (Lieut.-Colonel Chadwick) early made preparations for the better housing of his men. It was decided to build a camp of ample proportions, with large huts of the 'Nissen Bow' type. These are huts of semi-circular shape, constructed of wood and with a corrugated iron outside covering. With the addition of a small stove, these erections can be made into extremely comfortable living places. The component parts or the huts were secured, and the men set to work to build them under the supervision of the pioneer sergeant. In a very short time the locality was transformed from a field of mud, spotted with irregular rows of bivouacs and tents, into a splendid camp with lines of comfortable huts of regular size and dimensions. All round the camp, and on the most traversed parts, tracks of trench boards (for 'duck' boards) were laid, so that it was possible to walk from one end of the camp to the other without sinking ankle deep in liquid mud. When the camp had been completed it was christened 'Oldham Camp. and a large sign-board bearing that name was erected at the entrance to the camp. The name of Mailly-Maillet Wood was forgotten and the title of 'Oldham Camp was adopted by all.

The battalion were set to work on the new line of trenches won by the Naval Division in front of Beaumont Hamel. The line was in a terribly bad state owing to the heavy battering it had received at the hands of the artillery, and there was as a consequence a great amount of work to be done to make it reasonably fit for occupation and to make it strong enough as a position of defence. From the 'Oldham Camp' to the new front line was a matter of four or five kilometres, and the road to it lay by way of the village of Mailly-Maillet, Auchonvillers, and through the ruins of Beaumont Hamel. some battalions of the 7th Division were holding the line round this area, and daily they were subject to heavy 'straffes' by the enemy artillery. The 'Pals' Battalion had both the left and right sectors to keep in repair, and owing to the constant severe bombardments it was no light task. The march from the camp to the line, carrying equipment, rifles and tools was sufficiently hard owing to the terrible state of the ground. A new front line was dug , and strengthened and raised trench boards were laid in the trenches. It was with the idea of drainage that the raised 'duck-board' method was adopted, and it also obviated the men holding the line from standing ankle deep in water and mud. Two companies of the battalion also worked on the famous 'Y Ravine' at Beaumont Hamel, wiring and laying overland tracks.

On several occasions whilst going up to the line and whilst working on the trench system the men were subjected to heavy artillery fire and gas shelling. Especially was this the case one evening when 'D' Company were proceeding along the Beaumont Hamel Road en route for the line. A hurricane of gas shells came hurtling over from the enemy lines, and exploded with that queer, soft 'bang' peculiar to shells of that nature on both sides of the road in proximity to the company. Quickly the fumes spread, and soon the men were feeling the ill-effects of the terrible gas. It was practically impossible to proceed as three-quarters of the men were coughing and rubbing their eyes owing to the fumes having got into their throats and eyes. The 'about-turn' order was therefore given and the men were marched back to Mailly-Maillet where there lay a field ambulance. At this place all the men were examined by the medical officers and the worst cases were sent off to hospital whilst the remainder were sent back to camp to rest for a day or two.

Later an attack by another Manchester Battalion having as its objective Munich Trench, was successful after a stern struggle. On both sides the casualties were fairly heavy and the artillery activity was more than usually severe. A section of the 'Pals' battalion were detailed to follow up the attack and consolidate the trenches won and to lay a trench board track from the old front line to the new line. This, of course, was a task in which concealment from the enemy was practically impossible. Therefore, when the men had only been a short time on the job they were observed by the enemy who opened fire with his artillery and machine guns. The men gamely stuck to their work despite the danger from the falling shells and managed to complete the job with light casualties - only two men being killed and four or five wounded.

Both Capt. Batemen and Capt. H. Clark were awarded the Military Cross about this period for conspicuous bravery and general good work. Capt. Clark was instrumental in capturing a number of Germans by a smart piece of bluff. He was out in 'no man's land', late one night with a party of men working on the defences, when a number of Germans made an attack and called upon them to surrender. Capt. Clark, who could speak German with considerable fluency, covered the leading Germans with his revolver and warned them that he had a battalion of men near at hand ready to appear at a moment's notice. It was impossible for them to attempt to retire, he said, and advised them to surrender. After a few moments deliberation they decided to 'come quietly', and were disarmed. Great was their chagrin when they discovered they had been bluffed and that only a handful of English Tommies were waiting to take them over.

The second Christmas spent abroad by the battalion approached and another happy Yuletide was spent.

Transcription - Sheila Goodyear

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Part IV

Part V

Part VI

Part VII

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