"Manchester Survivors" - Manchester Hill

[DaveMurphy]

Very chuffed to find this newspaper clipping amongst others:

Manchester Survivors

Experiences of the Fighting Round the Redoubt.

  Two Officer survivors of the Manchester Regiment who fought so gallantly
round Manchester Redoubt are now in hospital in England. They are Lieut-
Quartermaster J.T. Ball and Lieut. A. C. Abba, and both were wounded in the
first onrush of the Germans when the regiemtn so thouroughly justified the
message of their commander, Colonel Elstob, when he said the Manchesters
would stick to the last.

Lieut-Colonel Elstob is son of Canon Elstob, of Chelford, and now reported
missing. Lieut Abba is able to tell of how he was surrounded with his patrol
but managed to fight his way through and bring some of his party back with
him.

Lieut-Quartermaster Ball, M.C. escaped injury until about 10-o'clock in the
morning of March 21, when he was wounded with shrapnel in both arm and
thigh and had to crawl back nearly a mile to get attention. Five others were
with him when he was struck and three were wounded and the other two
killed.

The German onslaught on the Manchesters began at 4.45 in the morning when
the weather was very nasty and so dark that it was almost impossible to see
a hand before one, and to make matters worse the Germans were using smoke
shells.

Lieutenant Ball says: "Our men didn't know how to give in, but fought like cats
and dogs - whichever you like - and when parties were surrounded , they turned
their guns, so that we had fighting on both sides of us"

[harribobs]

Very chuffed to find this newspaper clipping amongst others:

Manchester Survivors

Lieut-Quartermaster Ball, M.C. escaped injury until about 10-o'clock in the
morning of March 21, when he was wounded with shrapnel in both arm and
thigh and had to crawl back nearly a mile to get attention. Five others were
with him when he was struck and three were wounded and the other two
killed.

crikey!

well done on finding that mate

[wiganer]

hi,
I was intrigued re the acount f Manchester Hill.
My understanding that the action was fought to the <last man standing> which was Col Elstrob who was asked tosurrender and be captured ,his reply being < never> and was then shot.
I appear to be wrong.
vera

[harribobs]

if i remember correctly

Elstrob's famous quote was to HQ, "here we stand, here we die"

i fought someone was going to write up 'Manchester Hill'?

[Robert Bonner]

Anyone really interested should read my book 'Wilfrith Elstob VC DSO'.  Available on sale from booksellers or borrow a copy from your local library.
In the interests of future publications I must suggest buying - that helps produce funds for publication of other books on the Regiment. 

To answer the last query.  The battalion was split up into different posts with Wilfrith Elstob himself manning the HQ position.  Other posts were well in advance of his and, because of the thick fog that morning, were bypassed by the enemy. Therefore not everyone in the 16th Battalion was either killed or taken prisoner.

[wiganer]

hi,
thanks for that info on Manchester hill.I'm sure your quote will be the right one.
I will also look out for that book.
Next time we are in France we will go to ST quentin and visit nearby Manchester hill.
vera

[Robert Bonner]

Wilfrith Elstob's famous words were delivered to the officers and men of his battalion before they moved into their sectors on Manchester Hill on the evening of 18th March 1918.

...there is only one degree of resistance and that is to the last round and to the last man.  He then pointed to a blackboard on which the various company locations were marked and said 'This is Battalion HQ.  Here we fight and here we die'.

[harribobs]

I stand corrected!

here's link to Robert's book

http://www.tameside.gov.uk/webapps/shopping/moreinfo.php3?365

[Wendi]

harribobs, you probably do, 'cos wasn't it some yank in a later war that paraphrased those words....  

if i remember correctly

Elstrob's famous quote was to HQ, "here we stand, here we die"

[harribobs]

harribobs, you probably do, 'cos wasn't it some yank in a later war that paraphrased those words....  

if i remember correctly

Elstrob's famous quote was to HQ, "here we stand, here we die"

wouldn't surprise me.............

[DaveMurphy]

G'day Team,

Would like a copy of the book, but I don't think the tameside website really allows for postage via long range carrier pigeon to Sydney!

Any chance of an alternate means..??

BTW, I have a copy of Elstob's service record, and the Battalion diary entry of the events.., makes excellent reading. It was written up by
the temporary CO of the Battalion after the fact.., a 2/Lieut and counts the following:
              Killed            Wounded          Missing
Officers     ---                   5               18
ORs          ---                   8               593

Dave

[wiganer]

hi,
looking at Elstrobs picture he looks like a feally tranquil man.
You wouldn't think ,from his appearance how heroic he would turn out to be.

[tisgrannie]

Hi Dave if you like I would be happy to ship it to you. If you want to have it posted to me. I will then send it on to you. More than happy too. If you do just click on link and pm me and I will give you my address.
best wishes
tisgrannie

[DaveMurphy]

Thanks Tis!

PM Sent.

Dave

[harribobs]

BTW, I have a copy of Elstob's service record, and the Battalion diary entry of the events.., makes excellent reading. It was written up by
the temporary CO of the Battalion after the fact.., a 2/Lieut and counts the following:
              Killed            Wounded          Missing
Officers     ---                   5               18
ORs          ---                   8               593

Dave

when i first looked at this i thought "some mistake surely", but on reflection ( and after a quick look in the WD myself )  it makes sense as Manchester Hill was well behind the german lines and the KIA could not be ascertained