BOOK REVIEWS
![[Image]](pict260.jpg) |
"God's Own"- 1st Salford Pals,
1914-1916 |
During the early surge of voluntary enlistment shortly after the start of the war, Salford provided more than its fair share of men for the New Army, with several whole battalions claiming a local connection. This book is intended to be a memorial to the first of these recruits, the men who joined the 1st Salford Pals, officially named the 15th (Service) Battalion, the Lancashire Fusiliers. "God's Own" was the name given to them by other units during their early time on active service, because they seemed to be having so few casualties. This was to change however, on 1st July, 1916, when the 1st Salford Pals were given the task of attacking the seemingly impregnable fortress which the Germans had created at Thiepval.
Neil Drum and Roger Dowson have researched the history of this enthusiastic (and, ultimately, tragic) battalion very well indeed, and this book is a worthy memorial. It covers the story of the battalion from its formation in the heady days of patriotic euphoria to its virtual destruction at Thiepval, when the enthusiasm and comradeship were swept away, leaving whole communities numb with shock and grief. Although the battalion didn't actually cease to exist after Thiepval, it never again had the local connection which had brought it into being, so the authors end their story here. (They have brought together a good collection of photographs too, including some excellent ones of the Thiepval area at at about the time of the battle.)
All the casualties are listed according to the cemeteries in which they are buried, with the Thiepval Memorial being the place of commemoration for so many, and there are also lists of those members of the battalion known to have been wounded or captured. This section must have taken a long time to research, as there are personal details included for almost all of the men listed here, with photographs of many of them.
Finally there is a complete A to Z listing of all officers and men who served with the battalion from its formation to 1st July, 1916.
This is a book which will have a clear local interest, of course, but it deserves a wider readership. It is a memorial as much as a local history, and it shows what can be done.
"God's Own" - 1st Salford Pals, 1914-1916
is published by:
Neil Richardson
Soft Covers
83 pages, many black-and-white illustrations
ISBN: 1-85216-150-7
Copies may be obtained from:
Mr. R. Dowson
1, Pinfold Cottage
High Street
Nawton
York
YO62 7TS
(£9.00 including P&P)
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