| Date |
Accrington Pals |
First World War |
| Jun 1914 |
|
28th: Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo. |
| Jul 1914 |
|
28th: Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia. |
| Aug 1914 |
|
1st: Germany declares war on Russia.
3rd: Germany declares war on France.
4th: Germany invades Belgium. Great Britain declares war on Germany.
7th: Kitchener appeals for 100,000 volunteers.
23rd: Battle of Mons.
26th: Battle of le Cateau. |
| Sep 1914 |
7th: War Office accepts offer by Mayor of Accrington, Capt. John Harwood, to raise a full battalion from Accrington and district. |
6th-9th: Battle of the Marne. |
| |
14th: Enlistment begins.
24th: Enlistment complete. |
12th-28th: Battle of the Aisne. Trench warfare begins. |
| Oct 1914 |
|
10th (to 11th Nov): First Battle of Ypres. |
| Nov 1914 |
|
5th: Great Britain declares war on Turkey. |
| Dec 1914 |
8th: Recruitment of reserve company begins.
10th: Bn. officially designated as 11th (Accrington) Service Battalion, East Lancashire Regiment. |
|
| Jan 1915 |
|
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| Feb 1915 |
21st: Farewell service at St. John's Church, Accrington.
23rd: Bn. leaves Accrington for Caernarvon. |
|
| Mar 1915 |
1st: Lt.-Col. Rickman takes command. |
|
| |
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10th-13th: Battle of Neuve Chapelle. |
| Apr 1915 |
|
22nd (to 25th May): Second Battle of Ypres. First use of poison gas.
25th: British and ANZAC troops land at Gallipoli. |
| May 1915 |
|
9th (to 16th Jun): First French Offensive in Artois.
9th: Battle of Aubers Ridge. |
| |
13th: Bn. leaves Caernarvon for Penkridge Bank Camp. Joins Sheffield City Battalion and 1st and 2nd Barnsley Pals to form 94th Bde., 31st Div. |
15th-25th: Battle of Festubert. |
| Jun 1915 |
|
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| Jul 1915 |
30th: Bn. leaves Penkridge for Ripon. |
|
| Aug 1915 |
|
20th: Allied troops land at Suvla Bay, Gallipoli. |
| Sep 1915 |
24th: Bn. leaves Ripon for Hurdcott Camp, Salisbury. |
25th (to 15th Oct): Second French Offensive in Artois.
25th: (to 8th Oct): Battle of Loos. |
| Oct 1915 |
|
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| Nov 1915 |
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| Dec 1915 |
19th: Bn. embarks at Devonport. |
20th: Start of withdrawal from Gallipoli. |
| Jan 1916 |
5th: Bn. disembarks at Port Said, Egypt. Suez Canal defence duties at El Ferdan and El Kantara till March. |
8th: Withdrawal from Gallipoli completed. |
| Feb 1916 |
|
21st: Start of German Offensive at Verdun. |
| Mar 1916 |
2nd: Bn. embarks at Port Said.
9th: Bn. disembarks at Marseilles, France. |
|
| Apr 1916 |
28th (to 6th May): In line in front of Serre. |
29th: British-Indian forces surrender at Kut. |
| May 1916 |
20th-30th: In line. |
|
| Jun 1916 |
5th-13th: Training at Gezaincourt.
19th-23rd: In line. |
1st: Battle of Jutland
4th: Start of Brusilov offensive.
5th: Kitchener drowned. |
| Jul 1916 |
1st: Attack on Serre (Battle of the Somme).
9th: Bn. moves to Calonne-sur-la-Lys for re-fitting and re-organizing.
15th: Bn. moves to Neuve Chapelle (there to 11th Sep). |
1st: Opening day of the Battle of the Somme.
11th: Falkenhayn orders halt to German Offensive at Verdun. |
| Aug 1916 |
|
|
| Sep 1916 |
16th (to 5th Oct): At Festubert. |
|
| Oct 1916 |
15th: Bn. returns to line in front of Serre. |
French Offensive at Verdun. |
| Nov 1916 |
17th: Trench Raid |
13th: Battle of the Somme brought to a close. |
| Dec 1916 |
|
Battle of Verdun draws to a close. |
| Jan 1917 |
10th-12th: Bn. moves to Doullens area for rest & training. |
|
| Feb 1917 |
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| Mar 1917 |
6th-9th: In line east of Puisieux.
18th: Bn. moves to Merville area for training (to 8th Apr). |
11th: British occupy Baghdad.
12th: Start of first Russian Revolution. |
| Apr 1917 |
|
6th: US declares war on Germany.
9th-14th: First Battle of the Scarpe (Arras). Capture of Vimy Ridge.
16th-20th: Nivelle Offensive on Aisne.
23rd-24th: Second Battle of the Scarpe (Arras). |
| |
29th: Bn. moves to Arras area. |
|
| May 1917 |
8th-11th: In line.
14th to 17th: Actions near Oppy (Arras). |
3rd: Start of Third Battle of the Scarpe (Arras).
27th: Mutiny of French troops along the Chemin des Dames. |
| Jun 1917 |
10th-19th: In line. |
7th: Capture of Messines Ridge. |
| |
28th: Successful attack at Oppy-Gavrelle (Arras). |
|
| Jul 1917 |
Training & re-fitting. |
31st: Opening day of Third Battle of Ypres. |
| Aug 1917 |
Trench warfare in Acheville sector (Arras). |
|
| Sep 1917 |
Strengthening Vimy Ridge defences (through Nov).
17th: Bn. bombarded with mustard gas shells. |
|
| Oct 1917 |
|
23rd: French victory on the Aisne. |
| Nov 1917 |
|
7th: Bolshevik Revolution.
10th: Third Battle of Ypres brought to a close.
20th: Start of Battle of Cambrai. |
| Dec 1917 |
Bn. working on improving defences (through Jan 1918). |
11th: Allenby enters Jerusalem. |
| Jan 1918 |
|
|
| Feb 1918 |
Bn. transferred to 92nd Bde., 31st Div. |
|
| Mar 1918 |
Training in St. Pol area.
27th: Defensive action at Ayette.
2/Lt. Horsfall earns Victoria Cross. |
3rd: Russo-German peace treaty signed at Brest-Litovsk.
21st (to 5th Apr): German Michael Offensive (First Battle of the Somme 1918). |
| Apr 1918 |
Bn. withdrawn to St. Pol area.
11th-13th: Defensive actions near Vieux Berquin (Battle of the Lys). |
9th to 29th: German Georgette Offensive (Battle of the Lys). |
| May 1918 |
9th-24th: In Méteren sector (Bailleul). |
27th (to 6th Jun): German Blücher-Yorck Offensive (Battle of the Aisne 1918). |
| Jun 1918 |
|
9th to 14th: German Gneisnau Offensive (Battle of the Matz). |
| |
21st: Bn. moves to Aval Wood (Nieppe Forest).
28th: Successful attack at La Becque. |
|
| Jul 1918 |
In Vieux Berquin-la Motte sector (Nieppe Forest) (to 19th Aug). |
15th to 17th: German Marne-Rheims Offensive. |
| Aug 1918 |
|
8th: Opening day of the Battle of Amiens, the "black day of the German Army in the war."
21st-29th: Battle of Albert.
26th (to 3rd Sep): Second Battle of Arras. |
| Sep 1918 |
5th: Attack at the River Warnave.
13th: Bn. withdrawn to Div. Res. |
12th: US offensive at St. Mihiel Salient.
19th: Start of Allenby offensive in Palestine. |
| |
24th: Bn. moves to Nieuwkerke (Neuve Eglise).
28th: Successful attack at Ploegsteert Wood. |
26th: US-French offensive on Meuse-Argonne front.
28th: British-Belgian offensive at Ypres.
29th: British break through Hindenburg Line. |
| Oct 1918 |
16th: River Lys crossed south of Deulemont.
18th: Tourcoing entered. |
6th-12th: Second Battle of le Cateau. |
| |
|
30th: Turkey capitulates. |
| Nov 1918 |
9th: River Schelde crossed at Avelgem.
11th: Bn. east of Goeferdinge (near Geraardsbergen). |
1st-11th: Battle of the Sambre.
11th: Armistice signed by Germany. |
| Dec 1918 |
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| Jan 1919 |
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| Feb 1919 |
7th: King's Colours presented to Bn. at St. Omer. |
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