Tyneside Irish
24th, 25th, 26th and 27th (Service) Battalions of Northumberland Fusiliers
John Sheen
- The
- Pals
- battalions
- were
- a
- phenomenon
- of
- the
- Great
- War,
- never
- repeated
- since.
- Under
- Lord
- Derbys
- scheme,
- and
- in
- response
- to
- Kitcheners
- famous
- call
- for
- a
- million
- volunteers,
- local
- communities
- raised
- (and
- initially
- often
- paid
- for)
- entire
- battalions
- for
- service
- on
- the
- Western
- Front.
- Their
- experience
- was
- all
- too
- frequently
- tragic,
- as
- men
- who
- had
- known
- each
- other
- all
- their
- lives,
- had
- worked,
- volunteered,
- and
- trained
- together,
- and
- had
- shipped
- to
- France
- together,
- encountered
- the
- first
- full
- fury
- of
- modern
- battle
- on
- the
- Somme
- in
- July
- 1916.
- Many
- of
- the
- Pals
- battalions
- would
- not
- long
- survive
- that
- first
- brutal
- baptism,
- but
- their
- spirit
- and
- fighting
- qualities
- have
- gone
- down
- into
- history
- -
- these
- were,
- truly,
- the
- cream
- of
- Britains
- young
- men,
- and
- every
- single
- one
- of
- them
- was
- a
- volunteer.This
- is
- a
- comprehensive
- history
- of
- the
- Tyneside
- Irish
- Brigade
- raised
- in
- the
- North
- East.
- It
- covers
- their
- raising,
- training
- and
- active
- service
- as
- well
- as
- the
- aftermath
- of
- the
- war
- and
- how
- it
- effected
- the
- local
- community.
- Included
- is
- an
- invaluable
- nominal
- roll
- which
- will
- appeal
- to
- local,
- family
- and
- military
- enthusiasts alike.
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