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Rory Renner, Zoom Talk 6th May 2021
Queens College Taunton (Part 2) We thought it was a good idea to give you a run down on the talks we have been having on Zoom. The first one we will cover, is Rory Renner talk on the 6th May 2021, on Queens College Taunton (Part 2). The Zoom talk was well attended. Rory Grandfather had attended Queens College during the time of the Great War and since than other family members including Rory himself, have attended the College. The talk was very well researched and put together. It covered six men of the college who died during the war years from illness or enemy action. Telling details of where they were born, family details, where they studied before attending Queen's College, what they were like when at the College, what they did after leaving the college and what happened to them during their war service leading up to their death. It even included details of letters send home to family members from men who served with their love ones and details of memorials which they are listed on. There will be a Part 3 which we all look forward to seeing & hearing. |
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Branch Meeting 6th June 2019. Charlie Southern: Small Arms of WW1
An excellent talk on small arms of WW1 by our own branch member, Charlie, who is something of an expert on the subject. He delivered a very interesting and detailed description of the development of rifles and machine guns from the Victorian period. These included the Lee Enfield rifle, one of the most successful rifles ever used and still in use in some parts of the world. The German Mauser rifle and its use by the Boer farmers against the British in the South African War (Boer War) of 1899-1901. The Maxim, Vickers, Lewis and Hotchkiss machine guns and their devastating use in the Great War. Charlie explained the differences between them as well as their effectiveness and their short-comings. To complete his talk Charlie brought in some deactivated weapons from his own collection for members to handle at the end of the talk. |
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Branch Meeting, 4th April 2019. Prof Stephen Badsey: Could the Battle of the Somme have been won?
Professor Stephen Badsey’s talk at the monthly branch meeting on Thursday 4th April revisited the enduring controversy of the Battle of the Somme and Haig’s tactics in a talk entitled, ‘Could the Battle of the Somme have been won?’ In many ways it’s a provocative question, for many historians do indeed see the battle as a British victory and a vindication of Haig’s command. In the national consciousness the battle is remembered for the huge number of casualties the British Army suffered on the opening day of the battle on the 1st of July 1916, when around 20,000 British soldiers were killed and a further 40,000 wounded or missing. As Prof Badsey pointed out, the battle involved 12 separate battles and soldiers killed on all sides amounted to more than 1.5 million men. With such huge losses on all sides Prof Badsey suggested the idea of victory needs to be questioned in view of the small amount of territory gained. In fact, at the heart of the argument was the question of what price the British were prepared to pay to achieve victory. Haig was under immense pressure to defeat the Germans and break through their lines, but as Prof Badsey discussed, the strategy and tactics employed by both sides to achieve victory highlighted the difficulties the commanders faced and many opportunities were lost in exploiting gains made. The objectives captured at Montauban (a perfect example) on the southern end of the front could have been exploited by British cavalry, but for a number of reasons, they failed to do so. Although the British (and French) made gains and dented the German lines, the Germans were able to resist the onslaught. In doing so, Prof Badsey suggests, both sides were able to claim a victory. Prof Badsey is an eminent military historian and his detailed talk was very much enjoyed and appreciated by the branch, which saw 30 members and non-members in attendance. |
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Branch Meeting, 7th March 2019: Bullets & Bees. Speaker Claude Regnard.
The Branch meeting was well attended at the monthly meeting on 7th March with 35 people present. We were fortunate to have as the guest speaker Claud Regnard who read extracts from his grandfather’s diary, Lucien Polet, who served in the French Army for the duration of the war. Claud read in the first person, very eloquently and with much emotion from his grandfather’s diary, describing in vivid detail his experiences during the opening battles of the Great War. Lucien’s diary described the French Army’s opening campaign in the Battle of the Frontiers through to the retreat and the First Battle of the Marne. Lucien served in the 3rd Division of the 3rd Army under General Cordonnier. He was wounded in the head on the 10th September and evacuated to a field hospital on the 11th for treatment; many of his friends and colleagues having been killed or wounded. Lucien was eventually returned to the front and won the Croix de Guerre for capturing an enemy trench. Lucien survived the war and returned to civilian life. He never continued his diary beyond 1914 and spoke very little about the war. He married in 1917 and had three children. His daughter Berthe, (Claud’s mother) translated his diary into English three years ago at the age of 97 and was present at the meeting at the great age of 100. All members present agreed that the meeting was a very moving presentation and very much appreciated. At the end of the night the Branch presented Claud with a cheque for £100 to donate to the St John's Hospice on the Wirral in lieu of his expenses. Branch Meeting, 7th February 2019:
The Stockbroker's Battalion. 10th Royal Fusiliers. Speaker, David Carter. Branch attendance was down this month to 23, with several regular members absent due to work, sickness etc. It had nothing to do with our excellent speaker, David Carter, who talked about the Stockbrokers Bn. the 10th Bn. Royal Fusiliers. David's great-uncle had served with this battalion. On the outbreak of war, the Stock Exchange was immediately closed. Two men, Robert White, a former military officer, and William Maxwell, wrote to the Stock Exchange and the Bank of England, to ask if a group from the City of London, would come forward and enlist in a new battalion. Men flocked to Throgmorton, Street to enlist and before the month was out, a battalion had been raised. It was one of the first 'Pals' battalions. Medicals were quickly carried out, and on 29 August 1914, the men marched through London to the Tower of London, where over 1100 men took the oath, before the Lord Mayor of London, in the ditch around the tower, after which they were nicknamed 'The Ditchers'. The talk was based on the men's thoughts and feelings, during the war, with excerpts read from diaries and personal letters. The battalion fought at Armentieres, Somme, Arras, Ypres, Amiens, Puchevillers, the pursuit to the Selle and Charleroi. At the end of the war, only 50 original Ditchers were still serving in the battalion. Branch meeting, 7th September 2018: Black Soldiers by Karen O'Rourke
At the branch meeting held on Thursday 7th September more than 30 people attended and listened to Karen O’Rourke present a truly interesting talk on black soldiers from Liverpool who served during the Great War. Karen, a curator from the Museum of Liverpool, has researched extensively the contribution of black soldiers and other minority groups from Liverpool during that period with some of the information exhibited at the museum. The black community in Liverpool is the oldest in the UK, with some families able to trace their ancestry back ten generations. The Chinese community in Liverpool is the oldest in Europe. Karen spoke about the difficulty in identifying black and minority soldiers from military records due mainly to the use of British surnames the first generations of black immigrants adopted. She spoke of the many difficulties black soldiers had to overcome, with examples of black soldiers in uniform being physically abused in the streets of Liverpool. She told the tale of one black soldier from Liverpool who enlisted under the Derby Scheme, which ensured enlistment into the Army when called. The soldier believed he would be enlisting into a British county regiment or corps, but instead found himself drafted into the British West Indies Regiment, a regiment of volunteers formed from the West Indies colonies. The soldier served his time and upon discharge was awarded his army pension. However, as he had not served in a British-based regiment he was not entitled to a full British war pension, but was instead awarded a commonwealth pension; one third the value. It took many years of struggle to gain what was rightfully his. She recounted the post-war difficulties as the economy faltered and many men were left without jobs. As is most often the case scapegoats were needed to apportion blame. Unfortunately, in Liverpool the blame was levelled at black and minority groups, which led to serious racial tensions and violence. Charles Wootton, a 24-year-old ship’s fireman from Bermuda, who lived at 18 Upper Pitt Street, was murdered by a mob. No-one was ever brought to justice for the murder. It was a an enlightening talk and greatly enjoyed by all present. |
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Branch Meeting, 4th October 2018. The RAMC in the Great War. By Niall Cherry
At the monthly Branch meeting on 4th October more than 30 members and new attendees came to listen to Niall Cherry talk about the role of the RAMC in the Great War and in particular the problems encountered by the medical services during the battle of the Somme in 1916. The RAMC expanded rapidly from 1914 as the casualties mounted. Niall gave a detailed breakdown of the different branches of the RAMC from Advanced Dressing Stations to base hospitals. In the preparations for the Battle of the Somme the Director General Army Medical Services, 4th Army, prepared for around 6,000 casualties, while the Commander of 4th Army, General Rawlinson, thought 10,000 casualties more likely. In the event, 4th Army casualties were around 30,000 on the 1st of July, which rapidly overwhelmed the medical services, leaving many men left untreated. It wasn’t until 2nd July that sufficient hospital trains began to arrive to evacuate the casualties. During the Battle of the Somme, RAMC field ambulance units treated more than 300,000 casualties. It was a fascinating and enlightening talk that exposed the all-consuming nature and logistical difficulties the war posed to the RAMC. |
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Branch Meeting 1st November 2018. 13th (Wirral) Battalion, Cheshire Regiment. Peter Threlfall.
The November meeting of the Branch began was well attended with 36 members and new attendees. As is tradition for the November meeting the Last Post was played and two minutes silence were observed in memory of the fallen. Unfortunately, the advertised speaker was unable to attend, so Pete Threlfall, the Branch chairman, stepped in and gave an excellent talk on the formation and service of the 13th (Wirral) battalion, Cheshire Regiment. The battalion was formed by local MP Gershom Stewart who raised the battalion for service with the Kings (Liverpool) Regiment. However, the Kings rejected the offer, so on the 7th September 1914 Stewart took the volunteers to Chester and offered their services to General McKinnon of the Cheshire Regiment who accepted them into the regiment. Training began at the Tidworth camp and lasted until 25th September 1915 when they crossed the channel to France in the troopship RMS Victoria and moved into trenches at Le Touquet in the Vimy Ridge sector for their first taste of trench warfare. The first casualty of the battalion was John Davies of Wallasey. While in France one of the battalion, Ernest Hulse, was found to be only 16 years of age and was consequently sent home. Following Vimy Ridge the battalion was moved to the Somme during the build-up to the forthcoming battle. On the 5th July 1916 the battalion attacked from the village of La Boisselle towards Ovillers. It was the worst day for the battalion in terms of casualties sustained with261 in total with 111 killed. The battalion fought on throughout the 1916 Somme battle. In 1917 they fought at the Battle of Messines and at the 3rd Battle of Ypres. In 1918 following the reorganisation of battalions and divisions the battalion was disbanded on 16th February 1918. It was a very interesting talk from the Pete, whose knowledge of the battalion is clearly of a very personal interest to him. |
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