Les monuments commémoratifs de granit à Barnsley Pals(13/14ème Yorks & Lancs Regt) nr Sheffield Memorial Park sur la Grande Guerre de bataille de la Somme
4000 x 2664 px | 33,9 x 22,6 cm | 13,3 x 8,9 inches | 300dpi
Date de la prise de vue:
6 juin 2005
Lieu:
Sheffield Memorial Park, Somme, France
Informations supplémentaires:
Serre was one of the strongly fortified villages held by the Germans at the beginning of the Battle of the Somme. The village, about five miles north of Albert, marked the most northern point of the main attack on the 1st of July 1916 (although there was a subsiduary attack at Gommecourt, a mile or so further north). The name of Serre has come to be linked closely with several of the 'Pals' battalions, which suffered very heavy losses in the attacks made here. The Pals battalions were part of Kitchener's Army, and they were formed in specific towns or cities, where battalions were raised following the call to arms. As many of those who enlisted were friends, colleagues or relations, the idea was that by enlisting together in the local Pals battalions they would stay together during their service. The casualty lists that came back after the 1st of July 1916 devastated some of the communities which had sent these Pals battalions. As friends, colleagues and relations had joined up together, so they often died together, and families, streets and whole communities grieved together when the telegrams arrived. From Serre Road No.3 cemetery, a track leads on to the Sheffield Memorial Park itself. This is a wooded area where the original frontline trenches and the shell-holes in the ground have been preserved. It was opened as a memorial park in 1936. Near the cemetery and the Sheffield Memorial Park there is a memorial to the Barnsley Pals, in the form of a black granite stone. The funds for this were raised by businesses, the council and individuals from Barnsley, and it was unveiled in 1998, seven years after the last veteran of the Barnsley Pals had died.
