1ST BN MANCHESTER REGTÂ 1944-45
THE MANCHESTERS IN NORTH WEST EUROPE
June 1944 - May 1945
TELLING THEIR STORY
On 23rd June 1944, the advance party of 1st Battalion, Manchester Regiment landed on French soil. After years of training, the battalion had embarked upon a journey which would take them through war torn Europe to the shattered ruins of Hamburg.
Some 47 Officers and Men from the battalion never returned to their loved ones, many more were wounded or injured along the way. But, while that pool of shared experience was extensive, relatively few spoke of their experiences - stories of heroism, endurance, comradeship and army life.
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This project aims to tell the story of the men who wore the Fleur-de-lis cap badge with pride.
From Normandy to Hamburg
Supporting the 53rd (Welsh) Division with Vickers Machine Guns and 4.2'' Mortars, the men of the battalion served through Normandy to the carnage of Falaise and then on, via a lightening dash across France and Belgium to the continental delights of Antwerp. From there, into Holland and the liberation of the city of 's-Hertogenbosch and a winter involving action in the ice and snow of the Ardennes. By 1945, the Manchesters turned to Germany, advancing through the mud of the Reichwald Forest, across the Rhine and on to VE-Day on the banks of the Elbe.
Preparing for Normandy
Before landing in Normandy, the officers and men of 1st Battalion Manchester Regiment underwent an extensive period of training. This in-depth discussion with Paul Woodadge of WW2TV, covers the movements of the battalion in the first four years of the war, the period of training which readied it for active service and the impact that work had when the battalion went into action in Normandy.
Through North West Europe with 1 Manchester
While serving in North West Europe the men of the Manchester Regiment were photographed by the cameramen of the Army Film and Photographic Unit. These images give a vivid rendering of the Manchesters' war experiences.
July 1944: Cheux, Normandy
Better known as post-war captain of Manchester City, professional footballer Eric Westwood had his career interrupted by the Second World War.
Though footballing opportunities would present themselves – weeks before this picture was taken, he had appeared a guest for Chelsea in the 1944 War Cup Final – it was in hobnailed, rather than football boots that he served as an NCO with the Manchesters in North West Europe.
He is pictured here washing his socks in the stream which ran through the shattered village of Cheux.
Image: IWM (B 6517)
Photographer: Sgt Bert Hardy, No 5 AFPU
July 1944: Cheux, Normandy
When the men of A Company took up positions around the village of Cheux on 1st July 1944, their first taste of active service was far from quiet. In a series of “sticky” positions, the untested company was exposed to heavy shell and mortar fire, sustaining the battalion’s first fatality of the campaign.
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By 8th July, when these men were pictured in the village lavoir, a reorganised layout offered the chance of some respite, but the realities of war were already all too clear.
Image: IWM (B 6516)
Photographer: Sgt Bert Hardy, No 5 AFPU
October 1944: 's-Hertogenbosch
The Dutch city of ‘s-Hertogenbosch still remembers the actions of their liberators from the 53rd (Welsh) Division. The Manchesters aid the advance and, while the street fighting of the latter phases of the battle limited the use of the battalion’s machine gun platoons, D Company's 4.2" mortars were busy.
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Mortars, pictured here in the devastated residential suburb of Hintham, provided support to hard pressed forward troops. This was particularly valuable as, in contrast to the artillery - which tended to shell the tops of buildings - the mortars' high trajectory meant they could lob rounds directly into the streets below.
Image: IWM (B 11345)
Photographer: Sgt Richard Gee, No 5 AFPU
Supporting the Project
While many of those who served in the 1st Battalion of the Manchester Regiment in North West Europe did not speak of their time in uniform, some did. Still more left records behind - letters, diaries, photographs and memoirs.
Whether in memory or in ink, this information helps to shed light on that shared story. We're appealing now for the families and friends of Manchester Regiment veterans to get in touch and to share even small details which will help piece together a picture which is slipping from living memory.
GET IN TOUCH
If you have a Manchester Regiment story to share then please get in touch and help to tell the story of those who served.
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Alternatively, if you have a question or would simply like to find our more, feel free to ask and we'll be happy to help or direct you.