Mobilisation On the outbreak of war in August 1914 the 1st Battalion was part of the
8th (Jullundur) Brigade of the
3rd (Lahore) Indian Division, while the 2nd Battalion was part of
14th Brigade in
5th Division, stationed in Ireland. In August 1914 the two Special Reserve battalions went to their war station in the
Humber Garrison where they carried out the dual tasks of garrison duties and preparing reinforcement drafts of regular reservists, special reservists, recruits and returning wounded for the two regular battalions. 's recruitment poster for Kitchener's Army. Meanwhile on 6 August 1914, less than 48 hours after Britain's declaration of war,
Parliament sanctioned an increase of 500,000 men for the Regular Army, and the newly-appointed
Secretary of State for War,
Earl Kitchener of Khartoum issued his famous call to arms: 'Your King and Country Need You', urging the first 100,000 volunteers to come forward. This group of six divisions with supporting arms became known as Kitchener's First New Army, or 'K1'. Volunteers poured into the recruiting offices across the country and were formed into 'Service' battalions of the county regiments. So many came forward that the 'K1' battalions were quickly filled and the recruitment of the 'K2', 'K3' and 'K4' units quickly followed. The Manchesters formed the 11th (Service) Bn (K1),
12th (Service) Bn (K2), 13th (Service) Bn (K3) and 14th (Reserve) Bn (K4). Three days later, a heavy bombardment preceded an attack by a German force directed against the 2nd Battalion, Manchesters and the 1st Battalion,
Devonshire Regiment. Despite capturing a trench line, the Germans were unable to capitalise due to the actions of a platoon commanded by Second-Lieutenant
James Leach. In the process of their methodical retaking of the
trench, the party killed eight, wounded two and captured 14 soldiers. For their contribution to the defence of the Manchesters' trenches, Second-Lieutenant Leach and Sergeant
John Hogan were awarded the
Victoria Cross. Severe casualties were sustained by the 1st Manchesters and its brigade during the
Battle of Neuve Chapelle. A succession of intensely fought battles followed, culminating in the
Second Battle of Ypres and
Battle of Loos. The 2nd Manchesters embarked for France with the 5th Division in August 1914 and contributed to the rearguard actions that supported the
British Expeditionary Force's (BEF) retreat following the
Battle of Mons. The battalion was engaged in the battles of the
Marne, the
Aisne and
"First Ypres". On 1 July 1916, the
first day of the
Battle of the Somme, the regiment had nine battalions committed, including the
Manchester Pals, the 16th (1st City), 17th (2nd City), 18th (3rd City) and 19th (4th City), all serving in the
90th Brigade of the
30th Division. The day proved to be the deadliest in the British Army's history, with more than 57,000 killed, wounded or missing. The regiment continued its involvement in the Somme Offensive. In late July, the 16th, 17th and 18th Manchesters attacked an area in the vicinity of the small village of
Guillemont. During the action, Company Sergeant-Major
George Evans, of the 18th, volunteered to deliver an important message, having witnessed five previous, fatal attempts to do so. He delivered his message, running more than half a mile despite being wounded. He was awarded the Victoria Cross. (1856–1927) On 2 April 1917, the 2nd Manchesters attacked
Francilly-Selency, in which C Company captured a battery of 77 mm guns and a number of machine-guns. Two paintings were made of this action by the military artist
Richard Caton Woodville. Later in the month, the Manchester Regiment fought in the
Arras Offensive. Preparations for a
new offensive, the Third Battle of Ypres, in the Ypres sector had got under-way in June with a preliminary assault on
Messines. The Manchester Pals' Brigade fought in the offensive's opening battle, at Pilckem Ridge, on 31 July. Conditions during "Third Ypres" (or
Passchendaele) reduced the battleground to an intractable morass. During "Third Ypres", Sergeant
Coverdale, of the 11th (Service) Battalion, killed three snipers, rushed two machine gun positions, then reorganised his platoon to capture another position, though after advancing some distance was forced back due to bombardment from the British artillery, suffering nine casualties in the advance. After serving on the Western Front from July 1915 with
17th (Northern) Division, including the
Ypres Salient and the battles of the Somme and Arras, 12th (Service) Battalion amalgamated with Regimental HQ and two squadrons of the Manchester-based
Duke of Lancaster's Own Yeomanry (DLOY), who had been dismounted and retrained as infantry. From 24 September 1917 the battalion was redesignated
12th (DLOY) Battalion, Manchester Regiment. It continued serving with 17th (N) Division until the Armistice, including the Battle of Passchendaele, the
German Spring Offensive and the
Allied Hundred Days Offensive. In March 1918, the
German Army launched an
all-out offensive in the Somme sector. Faced with the prospect of continued
American reinforcement (who had
entered the war in April 1917) of the Allied armies, the Germans urgently sought a decisive victory on the Western Front. On the morning of 21 March, the 16th Manchesters occupied positions in an area known as Manchester Hill, near to
St. Quentin. A large German force attacked along the 16th's front, being repulsed in parts, but completely overwhelming the battalion elsewhere. Some positions lost were recaptured in counter-attacks by the 16th. Though encircled, the 16th continued to resist the assault, encouraged by its commanding officer, Lieutenant-Colonel
Wilfrith Elstob. During the course of the battle, Elstob single-handedly repulsed a grenadier attack and made a number of journeys to replenish dwindling ammunition supplies. At one point, he sent a message to
42nd Brigade HQ that "The Manchester Regiment will defend Manchester Hill to the last", to his men he had told them "Here we fight, and here we die". The 16th Manchesters effectively ceased to exist as a coherent body. Lieutenant-Colonel Elstob was awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross. An attempt to retake the hill was later made by the 17th Manchesters, now part of
21st Brigade, with heavy losses. Two more Victoria Crosses were awarded to the regiment in the final months of the war. Also involved in the Spring Offensive were the 2/5th, 2/6th and 2/7th battalions, serving as part of
199th (2/1st Manchester) Brigade, part of
66th (2nd East Lancashire) Division, all battalions of the
Territorial Force. On 4 November 1918, Wilfred Owen was killed in action during the crossing of the
Sambre–Oise Canal, exactly one week (almost to the hour) before the signing of the
Armistice of 11 November 1918 and was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant the day after his death.
Middle East In September 1914, just before the
Ottoman Empire entered the war on Germany's side, six of the regiment's battalions joined the Egypt garrison. They belonged to the
East Lancashire Division of the Territorial Force, which was selected to release
Regular Army troops for service in active theatres. Serving in the division were the 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th battalions, with the latter two as part of the
East Lancashire Brigade (which also included two battalions, the 4th and 5th, of the
East Lancashire Regiment) and the other four the
Manchester Brigade. In May 1915, the division was numbered as the
42nd (East Lancashire) Division and the brigades were numbered, the Manchester Brigade becoming
127th (1/1st Manchester) Brigade and the East Lancashire Brigade the
126th (1/1st East Lancashire) Brigade. In the same month, the division
landed at Cape Helles,
Gallipoli to reinforce the British beachheads established during the
initial landings in April. where, in the April landings, there had been at least 2,000 casualties. The Manchester battalions took part in the
Third Battle of Krithia on 4 June 1915. The 127th Brigade reached their first objective and advanced a further 1,000 yards, capturing 217 Ottomans in the process. During the
Battle of Krithia Vineyard, the Manchesters suffered heavy losses and gained a Victoria Cross for gallantry by Lieutenant
Forshaw of the 1/9th Battalion. The evacuation of Cape Helles lasted from December 1915 to January 1916. The Manchester battalions suffered many casualties during the Dardnalles Campaign. At the
Helles Memorial, 1,215 names of the Manchesters alone fill the memorial. The 1st Manchesters embarked for the
Mesopotamian campaign, accompanying the infantry element of the Indian Corps, from France in late 1915. The battalion took part in the
Battle of Dujaila in March 1916, which was intended to relieve the British forces in
Kut-al-Amara, which was being besieged by
Ottoman forces. In the battle, the 1st Manchesters seized the trenches of the Dujaila Redoubt with the
59th Scinde Rifles (Frontier Force); however, they were subsequently displaced by an Ottoman counter-attack, being forced back to their starting lines. During the withdrawal, Private
Stringer held his ground single-handedly, securing the flank of his battalion. He was awarded the Victoria Cross. British and Indian forces suffered 4,000 casualties. After five failed attempts to relieve the town, Kut surrendered to Ottoman forces on 29 April 1916. The 1st Manchesters would take part in further actions in Mesopotamia, but in March 1918 the battalion moved to
Egypt.
Home Front During a raid by German
Zeppelin L 21 on the night of 31 March - 1 April 1916, 31 soldiers of the 3rd Manchesters were killed when a bomb hit their billet at
Cleethorpes. As the war continued the Manchesters organised a number of other battalions for service away from the front lines. In 1915 the Home Service men of the TF battalions of the Manchesters and the
Lancashire Fusiliers, were combined into 45th Provisional Battalion, which became 28th Manchesters on 1 January 1917. It served at home in
73rd Division and was disbanded in 1918. A 29th Battalion was formed in June 1918, but within days was absorbed into 16th (1st City) Bn. The 1st Garrison Battalion served in India, and the 2nd (Home Service) Garrison Bn at home. In addition, three training battalions were organised in 1917 for progressive training of recruits: 51st (Graduated), 52nd (Graduated) and 53rd (Young Soldier) Bns. Ned Hughes died 4 April 2009 aged 108. ==Interwar years==