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The Birmingham Pals in the Great War

I've only just noticed this photo, (May 6th). I love how natural everyone looks, so much better than the stiffly - posed ones that were the norm in those days.
I'm surprised Angela Merkel managed to get in on the act though !
 
I discovered last year that my Great Uncle Charles Crisp signed up to the Birmingham Pals 14th Bn. in 1914. He lived on Norman St, Winston Green. He died aged 21 at the Battle of Guillemont on 3 Sep 1916, and I have discovered he has a headstone at Theipval Memorial. The War Diary page detailing the day of his and many others’ deaths is extremely moving. This site is fascinating. I have no photographs of him and am keenly looking to see if I can find a face similar to his brother, my dear Grandpa. Whether I will ever identify him in a photograph or not, the insight here from comments and photographs is extremely helpful for me in building a small picture into how Great Uncle and his comrades lived their lives during their preparations for war. Thank you all for your efforts and posts on the Birmingham Pals, for me having this information available is invaluable.
 
HI Terry,
I have just discovered this button, and it has been suggested to me that it might be a "sutton coldfield auxiliary" uniform button, linked to the Birmingham Pals. I'm not quite sure what is meant by this, but I thought I'd show you the button just in case the lead is a good one. Would be great to hear from you,
Zoe


terry carter said:
Excellent pictures Steve.

I have just returned from the Somme and you have been busy while I've been away!

Thank you for mentioning my book "Birmingham Pals". I have been informed it can be found in "The Works" for about 12 pounds, which is a lot cheaper than I get them from the publisher.

Regards

Terry Carter

If there are any queries regarding the Birmingham Pals no doubt myself and Steve would find the answer
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Andrea Parkes said:
I discovered last year that my Great Uncle Charles Crisp signed up to the Birmingham Pals 14th Bn. in 1914. He lived on Norman St, Winston Green. He died aged 21 at the Battle of Guillemont on 3 Sep 1916, and I have discovered he has a headstone at Theipval Memorial. The War Diary page detailing the day of his and many others’ deaths is extremely moving. This site is fascinating. I have no photographs of him and am keenly looking to see if I can find a face similar to his brother, my dear Grandpa. Whether I will ever identify him in a photograph or not, the insight here from comments and photographs is extremely helpful for me in building a small picture into how Great Uncle and his comrades lived their lives during their preparations for war. Thank you all for your efforts and posts on the Birmingham Pals, for me having this information available is invaluable.
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What number in Norman St did your Great Uncle live ? My grandparents were of that era and lived in Norman St.
 
In the Birmingham Pals history of the 14th battalion there is a C Crisp who is on the Manifolda Limited roll of honour in West Bromwich. Could this be your relative?
 
I am trying to find information regarding members of my family who where sadly killed in action in the |First World War 1. The first person Ernest Robert Freeman B) Birmingham 1890 D) France and Flanders 23 October 1918 also Charles Bertie Freeman B) Birmingham 1893 D) 9 July 1916 France and Flanders they were both Royal Warwickshire Regiment soldiers. If anyone has any photos, letters or war diaries or any details at all regarding these two remarkable people it would be much appreciated.
 
Ernest was a CSM and awarded the DCM for I suppose gallantry. He was in the 10th and 11th Royal warwicks. There is quite a lot on Ancestry about him, well worth looking
 
Grea said:
Ernest was a CSM and awarded the DCM for I suppose gallantry. He was in the 10th and 11th Royal warwicks. There is quite a lot on Ancestry about him, well worth looking
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Hi there
Thank you for reply. I am on Ancestry doing my family tree, which is where myself and another have been doing research. We have gathered all information from Ancestry hence the reason for branching out, in the hope of finding more. There is things which have been donated to the Royal Warwickshire Museum.
Will keep fingers crossed.

Take care
 
Steve R said:
More picture of our proud Brum lads

View attachment 101084 View attachment 101085 View attachment 101086

The men in the first and second picture are unknown however the soldier has put his name on the third one as A R Keighley, records show he was 864 Arthur R Keighley XIII Platoon D Company 2nd Birmingham Pals. He survived the war

Steve R
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In case it is ever any use to anyone, scan 46 is taken at Boldmere Gate in Sutton Park. The building in the background is the park keeper's house (still there, opposite the entrance to the Miller and Carter restaurant). As the 2nd Battalion were based over by Powells I wonder if the soldiers in it were from the 2nd Battalion.
 
Steve R said:
Interesting picture of the reserve 17th Battalion. Looking at this picture it has some similarities of pictures taken of the 14th Battalion (1st B'ham Pals) that were taken in Sutton Park.

View attachment 101090

This postcard is interesting for a couple of reasons. There are four soldiers at the very front and four name on the rear of the card.
Lt Col Bowhill (Commanding officer) Major Hocks (I think) 2nd in charge, Capt Riley officer commanding B Company and 2lt Ayre as Adjutant.

Also looking in the back ground I think that may be the Crystal Palace once the head quarters of the 1st B'ham Pals who had moved on when this picture would have been taken. Perhaps Terry could confirm or put me right. I believe the Crystal palace was burnt down some years later.

I think the 17 Reserve can often be over looked as they didn't go out to France with the original Pals as such but were used to replace soldiers lost by the other three battalions, but make no mistake many of the reserve soldiers were killed in future battles, being replacements didn't keep them much safer for long

Steve R
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Fabulous photo! This is definitely Crystal Palace, which by this point had had a 20 year history of providing drill space for various military groups (eg 1st Staffordshire Rifle Volunteers in the 1880s). Crystal Palace lasted till the early 1960s, when it was pulled down. I'm currently researching the history of Crystal Palace, which rarely appears in photographs, so to see this picture is brilliant!
 
My Uncle was in the 2/6 Warwickshire regiment and was killed in action on the19th July 1916 at the Battle of Fromelles. I have quite a bit of information about him but have never discovered where he enlisted. I only discovered him when doing family research. Nothing was talked about him, he was my father's eldest brother. My father died before I was a year old, so I never knew about this uncle. When bodies of soldiers were discovered in Fromelles I was asked to provide a DNA from my brother in the hope that Pte. Bertram Brittle might be one of the bodies found, sadly not. Does anyone know where these young lads enlisted in Birmingham?
 
I think there were a number of recruiting offices in Bham - Curzon Hall, Suffolk St and James Watt St are a couple mentioned in the newspapers and there were probably others in Aston.

Not sure if it's possible to work out which one someone signed up at even if you have their service records - my relatives' one just say Bham - unless you can associate a recruiting officer with a particular office maybe.
 
MWS said:
I think there were a number of recruiting offices in Bham - Curzon Hall, Suffolk St and James Watt St are a couple mentioned in the newspapers and there were probably others in Aston.

Not sure if it's possible to work out which one someone signed up at even if you have their service records - my relatives' one just say Bham - unless you can associate a recruiting officer with a particular office maybe.
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Thank you very much for taking the time to reply. Unfortunately Bertram's records were destroyed, like many others when the offices were flooded.
He lived in Hanley Street off Summer Lane, so maybe he enlisted in his nearest local one.
 
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