The Cheshire Bantams: 15th, 16th & 17th Battalions of the Cheshire Regiment

by McGreal, Stephen

• ISBN13: 9781844153879
• ISBN10: 1844153878
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2006-08-01
• Publisher: Pen & Sword Books

Summary

At the onset of the Great War any volunteer below the height of 5 foot 3 inches was rejected as being unsuitable infantry material. The Birkenhead recruiting committee successfully applied for permission to recruit short men for the first 'Bantam' battalions, the 15th and 16th (Service) Cheshire Regiment. Volunteers throughout the nation converged on Birkenhead to enlist. The novel idea Spread to other towns and soon sufficient battalions were raised to allow the formation of the 35th (Bantam) Division. The tenacious Bantams suffered severe casualties during the 1916 fighting for Bazentin Ridge and the infamous battle of the Somme. Their replacements proved to be physically inferior to the original sturdy Bantams and a year after first arriving in the killing fields the Division lost its Bantam status and thereafter average-height men were accepted. The reconstituted battalions played a significant role in stemming the 1918 German Spring offensive, and the subsequent allied fight for victory. The Cheshire Bantams tells for the first time, in words and pictures, the heroic story of these battalions, whose members' small stature belied their superb fighting spirit and raw courage. Book jacket.

Table of Contents

Introduction and Acknowledgements	p. 6
Birkenhead Through the Years	p. 13
Bigland's Birkenhead Bantams	p. 17
The Raising of the First Bantam Division	p. 43
1915 - Birds of a Feather	p. 49
The 35th (Bantam) Division	p. 65
1916 - The Killing Fields Beckon	p. 75
The Battle of the Somme	p. 101
The Thin End of the Wedge	p. 125
1917 - The End of the Bantams	p. 137
1917 Ypres Salient - Third Ypres	p. 169
1918 - The Beginning of the End	p. 183
Post Armistice	p. 232
Roll of Honour	p. 237
Honours and Awards	p. 250
Index	p. 255
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