Hull Commercials

In the 1930s five men wrote a history of the battalion they had proudly served with: the 1st Hull Battalion, known today as the 10th East Yorkshire Regiment or The Commercials. The book is the story of a happy family, men drawn together to fight for justice. There is no attempt to look at the bigger picture, and no attempt is made to comment on tactics or strategy; it is simply the story of a group of men and their travels across England, Egypt and the Western Front and what they achieved. Their love for their fellow soldiers and the battalion being clearly shown in early 1918 when the original members were all asked if they would like to train to become officers: the vast majority refused, preferring to stay in the ranks with their friends.The story is carefully crafted and based upon personal diaries, now long gone, and conversations between the participants. As well as the story of the battalions travels the appendices list awards, a diary of movement and a roll of honor. The editor, known for his work on the Hull Pals has added a complete listing of the original battalion, extra photographs, previously unpublished, and relevant footnotes.This book is the third book in the 1st Hull Pals trilogy and is essential reading for all interested in the Pals Battalions, providing a clear and concise record of a typical battalion at war.

In response to Kitchener's famous call for a million volunteers, local communities raised entire battalions for the service on the Western Front. Hull folk are reticent people and the Hull Pals were no exception. This book tells their inspiring story of sacrifice and gallantry under appaling conditions. Hull Pals contains a great number of hitherto unpublished eye-witnessed accounts and photographs.??As featured on BBC Radio Humberside and in The Yorkshire Post.

Hull Rifles looks at the 4th East Yorkshire Regiment during the Great War and examines the origins of the battalion and its history over the three years it fought in France and Belgium. The battalion was involved in some of the bloodiest battles of the war and suffered such high casualty rates in early 1918 that the unit ceased to exist, except in name. The men of the original battalion were Territorials, part-time soldiers who gave their free time to provide home defense during a war. Officially formed on 1 April 1908 as a result of the Haldane changes, the unit could trace its history back hundreds of years and was one of the oldest in the country. All the men were volunteers and held a full-time job. They had committed themselves to regular weekly training and a camp in the summer where they practised large-scale manoeuvres with other units. When the call came to volunteer for overseas service, 80 per cent came forward. Their ranks were quickly filled with new volunteers who were prepared to fight abroad. Volunteer numbers were high and quickly the overseas battalion was at full strength, as was a second for home service. A third battalion was also formed to provide replacements for the men at the Front. As well as fighting on the Western Front, a battalion was sent to guard Bermuda for the duration. The text uses letters, newspaper cuttings and the war diary to provide a detailed picture of a typical Territorial battalion at war. Also included are many previously unseen photographs, a nominal list of the men who volunteered before Christmas 1915, including a convicted murderer, awards, casualty details and lists of officers.

The First World War claimed over 995,000 British lives, and its legacy continues to be remembered today. Great War Britain Hull and the Humber offers an intimate portrayal of the city and its people living in the shadow of the ‘war to end all wars’. A beautifully illustrated and highly accessible volume, it describes local reaction to the outbreak of war; charts the experience of individuals who enlisted; the changing face of industry; the work of the many hospitals in the area; the effect of the conflict on local children; the women who defied convention to play a vital role on the home front; and concludes with a chapter dedicated to how the city and its people coped with the transition to life in peacetime once more. The Great War story of Hull is told through the voices of those who were there and is vividly illustrated through evocative images from Hull City Archives.

This book is a volume in the Penn Press Anniversary Collection. To mark its 125th anniversary in 2015, the University of Pennsylvania Press rereleased more than 1,100 titles from Penn Press's distinguished backlist from 1899-1999 that had fallen out of print. Spanning an entire century, the Anniversary Collection offers peer-reviewed scholarship in a wide range of subject areas.