Manchester Regiment and The Somme

[Paul Carter]

Hi All,
With the 100th anniversary of The Battle of the Somme, would anyone be able to provide me with details of the involvement of the Manchester Regiment in this action. From a Channel 4 TV documentary, I know that the 22nd were part of the battle but were any other battalions etc involved.
Regards,
Paul

[Mark Hone]

The first four Pals battalions 16th, 17th, 18th and 19th were instrumental in one of the few British successes of 1st July: the capture of Montauban by 30th Division.

[charlie]

There is an Order of Battle for the battle of the Somme here:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_battle_for_the_Battle_of_the_Somme

[PhilipG]

Paul,

The 20th and 22nd Manchesters must not be overlooked.

The 22nd battalion was in action in front of Mametz and did well, although suffering heavy casualties.

In the case of the 20th Manchesters, who were in action in front of Fricourt, I feel that they were handicapped by the action of the 7th Green Howards (on the 20th Mcrs' left flank), whose Company Commander ("A"Coy.) gave the order to attack at 7.45 am instead of at 2.30 pm when the Manchesters were ordered to attack.   Colonel Fife, the CO of the Green Howards was horrified to hear of the gross disobedience  of his orders, the effect of which was to handicap the efforts of the British artillery, whose gunners were well aware of the British wounded lying in No Man's Land in front of Wing Corner, resulting in a failure to destroy the barbed wire on that front.

Siegfried Sassoon observed the battle and in his published diaries makes a number of references to the 20th Mcrs. in action, reporting that at 9.30.pm, the 20th Mcrs. were holding Bois Francais Support and that the Manchesters' Commanding Officer - Lt.Col. Harold Lewis (37th Lancers (Baluch Horse) - had been killed in action.   PhilipG.