1st July 1916

And if we are to remember that ghastly day with poetry, let’s have something that was written by someone who was there.
Lieutenant William Noel Hodgson MC, 9th Batt. The Devonshire Regiment, was killed near Fricourt on July 1st 1916. He is buried at Mansel Copse Cemetery.

“The Devonshires held this trench. The Devonshires hold it still.”

“Before Action”

By all the glories of the day
And the cool evening’s benison
By that last sunset touch that lay
Upon the hills when day was done,
By beauty lavishly outpoured
And blessings carelessly received,
By all the days that I have lived
Make me a soldier, Lord.

By all of all man’s hopes and fears
And all the wonders poets sing,
The laughter of unclouded years,
And every sad and lovely thing;
By the romantic ages stored
With high endeavour that was his,
By all his mad catastrophes
Make me a man, O Lord.

I, that on my familiar hill
Saw with uncomprehending eyes
A hundred of thy sunsets spill
Their fresh and sanguine sacrifice,
Ere the sun swings his noonday sword
Must say good-bye to all of this; –
By all delights that I shall miss,
Help me to die, O Lord.

Was anyone every tried for war crimes for the 1st World War. With that casualty list they should have.
My Grand Father was gassed and invalided out of the war. Don’t know about his service record unfortunately.
My mum said he never really recovered from his injuries.

The Germans were by the Treaty of Versailles, which implemented vast war reparations.

Paul, thanks for the timely reminder of ‘The First Day’.
I once stood at La Boisselle at 07,30 hrs on July 1st (1996) and took part in the service of remembrance there. There really wasn’t a dry eye in the house.

A.

Smoky town where they were born,
Down in the valley, smoky little streets.
They were pals from childhood days,
Climbing trees and running through the fields.
And they all played together through the turning of the years,
Sharing their laughter, sharing all their fears.
Seasons saw them growing and
Seasons passing turned them round
With the turning, turning, turning years –
The Accrington Pals.

Schooldays’ end the lads all went
To work, some spinning, some weaving in the sheds,
On the land or down the pit,
Working hard to earn their daily bread.
And they all went walking up old Pendle Hill,
On Sundays the larks sang high above the dales.
Little Willie Riley played his mandolin and sang,
They were laughing, they were singing then –
The Accrington Pals.

1916 came the call,
“We need more lads to battle with the Hun.
Lads of Lancashire, heed the call,
With God on our side, the battle will soon be won.”
So they all came marching to the beating of the drums,
Down from the fields and factories they come,
Smiling at the girls who
Came to see them on their way.
They were marching, marching, marching away –
The Accrington Pals.

Blue sky shining on a perfect day,
A lark was singing, high above the Somme.
Brothers, pals and fathers lay
Watching that sweet bird sing in the quiet of the dawn.
And they all went walking out towards the howling guns,
Talking and laughing, calmly walking on,
Believing in the lies that
Left them dying in the mud,
And they’re lying, lying, lying still –
The Accrington Pals.

Smoky town which heard the news,
Down in the valley, smoky little streets.
Houses quiet and curtains pulled,
All round the town a silent shroud of grief.
And the larks were singing still above old Pendle Hill,
The wind was in the bracken and the sun was shining still.
A lark was singing sweetly as
The evening fell upon the Somme.

(spoken) For Edward Parkinson,
Bobby Henderson, Willie Clegg,
Johnny Molloy, Norman Jones,
Albert Berry, Willie Riley –
(sung) The Accrington Pals.
(drum-roll into brass band arrangement of “The Battle of the Somme”)

I can’t even comprehend 60’000 casualties. For the people fighting it must have seemed devastating and surreal.
The aftermath horrendous.
Was anyone every tried for war crimes for the 1st World War. With that casualty list they should have.
My Grand Father was gassed and invalided out of the war. Don’t know about his service record unfortunately.
My mum said he never really recovered from his injuries.