Saw this on The Bury Times website. I think Salfordians should come out in force to honour them.
NEARLY 100 years ago Lord Kitchener, the then prime minister of England, our great country, asked for volunteers to join and fight the Kaiser of Germany.
The call was answered far and wide from men working the coal mines, mills and every walk of life.
The men from Salford and surrounding areas of Manchester, Liverpool, St Helens and many, many more localities were known as The Salford Pals.
Many were brothers, cousins, fathers and sons. They wore a badge called “The Lancashire Fusiliers xx”. They later added to the badge a primrose hackle.
These men from 1914 were very proud of their regiment and although disbanded in the 1960s, they are still highly recognised by the grandsons and in some cases great grandsons who succeeded them. We say “Once a fusilier always a fusilier.”
The greatest honour we hold was seven VCs before breakfast — “Unfortunately the cook overslept.” We stand proud in the city. In September 1947 we were given the freedom of the city.
On November 11, 2009, the last of the Pals of Salford men of The Lancashire Fusiliers xx will reunite. Seventy men in total will gather for the very last time.
These men will proudly parade down The Crescent on the Cenotaph of Salford to say thank you to all those people who fought and fell, not only The Lancashire Fusiliers but civilians, and members of the Fire Brigade, Police, Ambulance Service and all who stood proud against all odds to protect our great country.
So the time has come for the Pals of Salford not to say goodbye but to stand at ease as the end of the road is drawing near for many of the Pals of Salford, The men of The Lancashrie Fusiliers.
So why not join us for this final heartfelt parade and allow us to say good night and God bless
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2 comments:
I couldn’t agree more, my husband and brothers were all serving fusiliers..RRF 2nd & 3rd battalions, albeit not in the two world wars but in peacekeeping forces in other parts of the world including Northern Ireland.
They served their country well, and I am extremely proud of them all.
My grandmother’s older brothers, Robert & Robinson McKinley my great uncles served in the Northern Ireland regiments..the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers and the Royal Garrison Artillery, two died, one in Gallipoli in 1915 and the other in Flanders in 1917, they are commemorated on the Diamond War Memorial, Londonderry. My grandmother never forgot those young brothers who went off to war and never came back, she spoke of them often, and missing their friendship all her life.
Her older brother wrote many letters home, by the light of a penny candle, describing the horrors of life on the front line always expressing concern for the kind folk of Flanders and mourning the loss of their fine towns with them.
Yes, all these brave men deserve our respect and now the only thing we can do is remember their great sacrifice that we might have a free life.
I’ve attached an excerpt from one of the letters; it’s a little on the long side, but well worth reading.....lest we forget!
'As regards how long this struggle will last I would say the problem is very serious, and one that wants some solving, a picked them up. The R.A.M.C. deserve great credit for their attention to men falling in action. I have seen places here where one of the huge 17-inch projectiles hit the kerb, penetrated through to the cellars, and exploded, lifting three or four large houses or buildings as clean and as neat as one could imagine. Others have drilled their way down to the sewers, breaking the roadway up. I have seen houses here where a shell in its flight has caught the corners God only knows how many poor people are lying beneath these burning ruins, for, judging by the way this place has been bombarded, these people must have got caught like rats in a trap. To make matters worse, these are the homes of the people who rushed to meet us on our arrival after the evacuation of the Germans, and who supplied us with hot coffee and bread and butter night and day during the dark days of October. I hope the British Army will never see as dark days again. A friend of mine, who is a signaller, asked me one night if I would care to go to the observation station with him. By the observation station I mean a dugout as near to the trenches as possible for observing our fire on the German positions.In the distance I could see flashes of the enemy's guns, and later I heard a dull roar as the shells burst behind us. During the night the Germans fire rockets from pistols, which illuminate a certain area to prevent their being surprised by a sudden night attack. Every time one of these rockets went up it was followed by rifle fire. The firing line and trenches by night really want seeing to understand what they look like. There was a barn on our left well ablaze and showing a lot of light over our way. I am very pleased to see that an effort is being made by the ladies in Londonderry to provide our prisoners in Germany with food, &c. Our Tommies do not know how to thank the ladies at home enough for their kindness and thoughtfulness. It is really a pleasure to fight for such people. The ladies are certainly bestowing great honour on us by taking such an interest in our comforts. Now I must close, as my penny dip, or candle, is well nigh burned into my candlestick, which is a vaseline tin, not a very elaborate affair. For after all, we are lucky to be alive.'
If you want to read the full letter you can view it at www.diamondwarmemorial.com
The previous soldier on the role is his brother, Robert.
Thanks for that Joyce.
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