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Remembered Today:

South Downs battalions, Royal Sussex Regt


Guest Vicky Paine

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Guest Vicky Paine

Dear Members

My theatre company are embarking on writing a piece which will be performed at Petworth House (national trust property) next year to mark the centenary as part of the Petworth Literary festival. We are currently trying to unearth local stories of local men who fought in the war and are especially keen to explore the stories of those who fought in the battle of Boars Head. We would very much appreciate any advice as to how we could unearth information as we are not experienced historians or WW1 experts. The battle involved the 11th, 12th and 13th Battalions of the South downs regiment ( a subsidiary of the Royal Sussex Regiment) and most of the 12th and 13th were wiped out. We would be eternally grateful for any advice from your good selves. Complimentary tickets would of course be issued!!! Thank you in advance. Vicky Paine.

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Vicky - There is quite a bit of information on the "Long, Long Trail" site at

http://www.1914-1918.net/sussex.htm including this

The pals battalions of the Royal Sussex - the South Down battalions, or "Lowther's Lambs", - suffered terrible casualties on 30 June 1916, 24 hours before the much better known "First Day on the Somme". This was in a diversionary attack, a large scale raid launched by 39th Division at a position called the Boar's Head, near Richebourg l'Avoue. Just under 1,100 casualties (dead, wounded and prisoners) were incurred in a fruitless attack that had no effect on the enemy's abilities to withstand next day's assault on the Somme. The vast majority of the losses were to men from the county of Sussex.

The 13th Battalion's war diary transcription is at

http://www.1914-1918.net/Diaries/wardiary-13sussex.html

Ken

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It may be worth editing your original post to include "South Downs" in the title so that it attracts the right people. I believe we have a few members here with interest in the Royal Sussex Regiment.

Steve.

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As the topic has nothing specifically to do with the IWM project it doesn't really fit here - perhaps moving it to a more appropriate part of the forum (eg Soldiers, or Units & Formations) would result in it being seen by more people with the appropriate knowledge to help.

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There's a hefty book, recently published "We Wunt Be Druv" by Hugh Miller, which covers all the Battalions of the RSR on the Western Front

Martin

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Vicky.

You could try this for further information." The Day Sussex Died. A History Of Lowther's Lambs To The Boar's Head Massacre By The Late, John A. Baines. JIM

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Hi Vicky,

Totally agree with Jim (Ypres) above, it has some excellent information and was John's labour of love. There is also a shorter work by the military historian Paul Reed called, I believe, 'Forgotten Heroes' or similar, held by Sussex library stores. As Martin mentions above there is also Hugh Miller's book, which has the war diaries in more readable form.

Edmund Blunden, the poet, was in the 11th Sussex (1st South Downs) so there is his Undertones of War and Helen McPhail's Edmund Blunden - Trail of the Poets of the Great War

I have the War Diaries if I can help at all.

I have looked into some local Lambs and have a bit of info, happy to help where at all I can

I will PM you with my email so you have it if you need

All the best, Jim

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I wonder if it might be an idea to contact Martin Hayes, the County Local Studies Librarian at Worthing Library / West Sussex Record Office, Chichiester. He's co-ordinating some of the research and events which are being prepared for the centenary period, and may be able to put you in touch with other people who some previous experience with researching the men of Petworth and surrounding district.

Sue

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