As a market town and one of the seats of government of the county authority, Alnwick played a key role in the coordination of Northumberlands war effort. With a wide rural hinterland, the town was considerably important in the production and dispersal of food, which was vital to the war effort. As the home of the Duke of Northumberland, the town had a hugely influential role in the overall Northumbrian war effort from civilian affairs to military recruitment.The town shared a proud tradition of military service with the wider region, and this was reflected in the huge numbers of Alnwick men and women who came forward for service in the military or in roles such as nursing. The town was a regional recruitment centre and hosted its own unit of the 1/7th (Territorial) Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers, as well as other military units. From 1915, Alnwick was also one of the largest infantry training bases in the north of England. Many of the locally raised Pals Battalions, which were raised in the north, received their training here. For those left behind in Alnwick, the war was a time of worry and hardship, however others saw the business opportunities. This book includes accounts of the struggle that local families faced in coping with rising wartime prices, longer working hours and endless worry, sometimes in the face of accusations of drunkenness or idleness from the authorities and unfair criticism of the rural districts recruiting record.Despite these hardships, the people of Alnwick provided incredible charitable support right up until the end of the war, in addition to their normal efforts. Several military hospitals were set up in the town and surrounding area, with the training base later becoming a recuperation base for injured soldiers. These momentous efforts are explained throughout this compelling book, which is a testimony to the bravery, self-sacrifice and determination of the people of Alnwick during the Great War.

Written by the Duke of Northumberland himself, featuring his own photography. From the Norman Conquest to the present day, the story of Alnwick Castle and the Percy family has been woven into the fabric of British history. Lions of the North tells, from a unique and personal perspective, the stories of the Percy family and Alnwick Castle over a thousand years of British history. Generations of Percy barons, lords, earls and dukes played vital parts in great historical events, from the Norman Conquest to the two World Wars, and the castle, once battered by marauding armies, is now a major tourist attraction. The Duke has drawn on his unparalleled access to the Percy archives to paint this fascinating portrait of a British dynasty and its survival against the odds.

This rare primary source account is the story of the hard fighting battalion of the 7th Northumberland Fusiliers, which saw action on the Somme, Passchendaele and in the Battle of Arras. This wonderfully detailed account provides a rare insight into the experiences of the common soldier on the front line during some of the bitterest conflicts of the war.Unembellished and unwavering in his account, Francis Buckley here records not only the events of the battles he fought in, but also provides an emotional tribute to the heroism of the friends he made and lost during his time in the field. As well as his fellow troops of the 7th Northumberland Fusiliers, Buckley also remembers, with great fondness, the bravery of the officers and men of the 149th Infantry Brigade, and of the 50th Division. His recollections here provide a poignant reminder of the true human cost of war in the modern age.

DigiCat Publishing presents to you this special edition of "Craven's Part in the Great War" by John T. Clayton. DigiCat Publishing considers every written word to be a legacy of humankind. Every DigiCat book has been carefully reproduced for republishing in a new modern format. The books are available in print, as well as ebooks. DigiCat hopes you will treat this work with the acknowledgment and passion it deserves as a classic of world literature.

The planning for the raising of what was to become 16th (Service) Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers, started within two days of the outbreak of the war. The initial efforts took on a more professional look within a month, when the Newcastle Chambers of Commerce set about raising money and aiming to raise several battalions in response to Lord Kitchener's call for men. The outcome was a Pals battalion, the 1st Newcastle Commercials. Arriving in France at the end of 1915, the battalion, like so many others of its type, had its first experience of a major action on the Somme on 1st July 1916, in its case in the forlorn attempt to capture the German front line village of Thiepval. The outcome is well known; a disaster that ravaged the battalion's ranks. However, the battalion was reinforced, reorganized, and took its part in actions at Ovillers and along the Ancre as the battle grinder on over the next four and a half months. In 1917 it was involved in the advance on the Hindenburg Line and was then transferred to the North Sea coast, with the intention of taking part in the daring plan to launch a major amphibious landing behind the German lines in the summer. This was thwarted by a masterly pre-emptive German counter stroke. By the end of the year the battalion was engaged in operations in the northern part of the Salient after the Battle of Third Ypres (Passchendaele) had formally ended. In early February 1918 the battalion was disbanded as part of a general reorganization of the BEF, which saw divisions losing three of their twelve infantry battalions. In outline it is a common story; but, as for all the Pals battalions, its unusual origins and its very close connection to a local area, in this case Newcastle, provides an enduring fascination for today's generation. Ian Johnson has worked extraordinarily hard to gather documents from members of the battalion - letters, diaries, and recollections - as well as numerous photographs. He has prepared extensive appendices on its membership and its casualties. The outcome is a fitting tribute to these young men from Newcastle men of a century ago who, for whatever motive, answered their country's call, all too many of whom paid for it with their lives or their health.