The first brigade of the Territorial Army to be used in the First World War
was the Northumberland and Durham Brigade which reached the battlefields
around Ypres just after the first gas attack had opened a 5 mile gap in the
French lines. They were marched into the gap being, among other things,
considered to have some experience of gas from their days in the mines.
Attacking virtually immediately they reached and penetrated the south part
of the village of St. Julien but were mown down in large numbers (over half
the brigade) in their lines of attack. The gas and machine guns
eventually drove them back - their BG Riddell being one of those killed.
They were broadly commended by the divisions of the Regular Army for the
"excellent way in which they carried out the attack." (Official History).
Pity those of us in the States can't quite get Channel 4 yet
Dave
>Hi list.
>
>Many of you will recall my endeavours to trace details of Arthur Clifford
>and that these researches resulted in discovering his involvement, along
>with thousands of other miners, in the Tunnelling efforts at Ypres
>1915-1917.
>
>My research progresses but I would like to advise anyone interested that
>there will be a documentary, on Channel 4, on 11th November which covers the
>story of those Tunnellers.
>
>The program producer also advises me that he has another documentary, to be
>shown on the same day (BBC2) which relates to an emotional visit of some
>veterans back to Ypres.
>
>I appreciate that this is more WW1 topic but, in mind of the thousands of UK
>(and commonwealth) miners that were conscripted to the Royal Engineers at
>the time, I feel it may be of interest.
>
>Regards
>
>Phil Clifford
>
>Researching Mines Rescue - Forest of Dean & North Staffs.
David A. Summers
Curators' Professor of Mining Engineering
Adjunct Professor of Nuclear Engineering
Director
Rock Mechanics and Explosives Research Center
University of Missouri-Rolla,
Rolla, MO 65401
"fools talk, wise men listen." (a variant of Prov 12:23)
phone: (573) 341 4314
FAX: (573) 341 4368
related web pages
Rock Mechanics http://www.umr.edu/~rockmech/
Waterjet Lab: http://www.umr.edu/~waterjet/
UMR Stonehenge: http://www.umr.edu/~stonehen/
Personal: http://www.umr.edu/~rockmech/data/Summers.html
Mining Eng. http://www.umr.edu/~mining/
Waterjet Assoc http://www.wjta.org/
International Waterjet Society: http://www.iw.uni-hannover.de/iswjt/
Next waterjet conference: http://www.bhrgroup.co.uk/confsite/jetthome.htm
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