The Darkness and the Thunder

by Stewart Binns

  Others followed Bigland’s lead, for example, the 20th Battalion of the Lancashire Fusiliers, raised at Salford in March 1915, through recruiting efforts by local MP Montague Barlow and the Salford Brigade Committee. The West Yorkshire Regiment, the Royal Scots and the Highland Light Infantry all had bantam battalions. Many of the recruits were miners, and some of the units were formed into the British 35th Infantry Division. The 40th Division had a mixture of bantam and regulation units, although it is generally considered to have been a bantam division. The bantams were very popular at home and were often featured in the press.

  Bar and clasp

  In the rubric of military decorations, a ‘bar’ to an award for gallantry is given if the recipient receives the same award more than once: rather than receiving a second medal, a bar is attached to the ribbon of the original one. For a Military Cross the bar is decorated with a crown; for the Victoria Cross, with a laurel wreath. A clasp is awarded as an addition to a campaign medal and marks the recipient’s participation in a specified battle within a campaign. The name of the battle is inscribed on the clasp, which is attached to the ribbon of the medal. Confusingly, clasps are often also called bars, but bars bear only a design, whereas clasps bear the name of the battle.

  Belle Époque

  Belle Époque (meaning ‘beautiful era’) is a period in European history dating from 1871 up to the start of the Great War in 1914. It was a time of optimism, peace at home and in Europe, advances in new technology and scientific discoveries. Peace and prosperity in Paris allowed the arts to flourish, and many masterpieces of literature, music, theatre and the visual arts were produced in this era.

  Bénédictine

  Bénédictine is a herbal liqueur produced in Fécamp, Normandy. The secret recipe, an aromatic mix of herbs and spices, was invented by local wine merchant Alexandre Le Grand, in 1863. The members of Burnley Miners’ Club in Lancashire are the world’s greatest consumers of Bénédictine. Its local popularity began when men of 11th Battalion, East Lancashire Regiment, were billeted at Fécamp during the Great War, where they acquired a taste for it.

  Big Bertha

  Big Bertha is the name given to a type of large mortar developed by Krupp, the German armaments manufacturer. Big Berthas weighed almost 100,000lbs (43 tons) and had a 16.5-inch barrel. They could hurl a 1,800-lb shell almost seven miles.

  Billets

  Billets are soldiers’ living quarters. The term derives from billet, French for a ‘ticket’, which was issued to a soldier entitling him to a room or place to stay.

  Billy-do

  ‘Billy-do’ is a colloquial translation of the French billet-doux (literally, ‘soft note’), a love letter. It is thought that the term ‘billy-do’ came into use in soldiers’ parlance because of the soft paper on which messages were sent during and before the Great War.

  Binns of Edinburgh

  Binns was a chain of department stores that traded in northern and eastern England, with one branch in Edinburgh. It has now been incorporated into the House of Fraser, although one store in Darlington continues to trade under the Binns name.

  Black Hole of Calcutta

  The Black Hole of Calcutta refers to an incident that took place in Fort William, Calcutta on 20 June 1756. Troops of the Nawab of Bengal, Siraj ud-Daulah, captured Calcutta and the East India Company’s British garrison surrendered. The British prisoners-of-war were held for the night in a small jail, known as the ‘Black Hole’. It was a room only 18 feet long and 14 feet wide, with only two small windows. The conditions were so cramped that the majority of the prisoners died. The precise number of those incarcerated and those who died are the subject of much debate. Original reports claimed 23 survivors from a total of 146 prisoners, but later studies suggested 21 survivors from 64 prisoners.

  Bob Fitzsimmons

  Robert ‘Bob’ Fitzsimmons was a British boxer who became Middleweight, Light Heavyweight and Heavyweight World Champion – the first man to win world titles at three different weights. He weighed only 170lbs, but had a powerful upper body and an exceptional punch and is regarded as one of the greatest boxers in history. He retired from the ring in 1914.

  Brevet

  A brevet was a military commission where an officer was granted a higher rank as a reward for outstanding service, but often without the authority or pay. A full promotion usually followed quite quickly.

  British Army School of Musketry

  The British Army School of Musketry was founded in 1853 at Hythe, Kent. In September 1855 a corps of instructors was added to the establishment, consisting of 100 first-class and 100 second-class instructors, who, as soon as they were sufficiently experienced, were distributed to depot battalions and regiments as required. The use of the term ‘musketry’ in their name was, in fact, a misnomer, as, by then, muskets (smooth-bore weapons) were being withdrawn from service to be replaced by weapons with rifled bores (rifles).

  British Expeditionary Force

  Britain’s army in 1914 was a volunteer professional army of great tradition. Although there had been significant reforms in the nineteenth century, it was still based on centuries-old practices and prejudices. Most officers needed a private income of at least £250 per year, or £400 for cavalry regiments, which required a man to keep a charger, two hunters and three polo ponies. Some men of the ranks came from long-standing military families, but most enlisted as unskilled labourers. These were largely from urban slums, men who were uneducated and often undernourished.

  The army required that men be 5 foot 3 inches in height and 133lbs in weight, with a 33-inch chest. Despite these minimal standards, many applicants failed. Although their living standard was hardly luxurious, soldiers got regular pay, had clean living conditions, adequate food and were given a rudimentary education. Camaraderie was generally good and professionalism high, especially in basic combat skills and musketry. There was mutual respect between officers and men, and non-commissioned officers were drawn from highly disciplined veterans and of the highest calibre.

  In May 1914 British military prowess rested on its immense Royal Navy, which was the envy of the world. The regular army was small compared to its European counterparts and was 11,000 short of its establishment of 260,000. The number of men under arms on UK soil was 137,000, including recruits undergoing training. The rest were in numerous garrisons throughout the empire. The BEF sent to France in August 1914 was designated at 48 infantry battalions and 16 cavalry regiments, plus heavy and light artillery and support services. This was many more than the army could muster, so over 70,000 reservists were called to the colours. Although these men had been regular soldiers, most had grown accustomed to civilian life, lacked training and had lost their battle-hardened readiness. Many battalions had to include several hundred reservists to bring them up to a strength of around 1,000 men.

  Approximately 100,000-strong, the BEF’s mandate was challenging: to help throw back a German force of 1 million in cooperation with a French Army that was equally huge. Its commander, Sir John French, was required to support the French generals but not to take orders from them. However, he had to rely on their goodwill for railway transportation, accommodation and lines of supply. John French was a better fighting soldier than he was a strategic general. He was liked by his subordinates and had a good reputation within the army, but he was short-tempered and argumentative and suffered from violent mood swings, which veered from overt optimism to deep pessimism. His subordinates Sir Douglas Haig, who commanded I Corps, and Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien, who commanded II Corps, were also highly respected, experienced soldiers, but neither had a good relationship with French, especially Smith-Dorrien, who was appointed against his wishes. Haig was extremely efficient and hard-working, much liked by all around him, but was intensely shy and awkward. Smith-Dorrien was brave and aggressive but prone to extreme outbursts of temper.

  The BEF was to take up position to the east of Cambrai, between Maubeuge and Hirson, on the left flank of General Lanrezac’s 5th Fr
ench Army of 250,000 men. Here it would meet the thrust of the German advance through southern Belgium, led by General Alexander von Kluck’s 1st Army, which was 300,000 strong.

  Burnley Lads’ Club

  The Burnley Lads’ Club was formed in 1899 to cater for boys from disadvantaged backgrounds. Many of the original members of the club fell in the Great War, serving with the famous D Company, Accrington Pals, along with the club’s first leader, Captain Henry Davison Riley. The club still flourishes. In 1968 the Lads’ Club merged with the Police Youth Club to create Burnley Boys’ Club. The merger enabled the two groups to pool their resources and membership, which included girls, and the club is now called Burnley Boys’ and Girls’ Club. It is a youth and community centre for all young people between the ages of six and twenty-one, irrespective of gender, race and ability. Young people with disabilities are welcome up to the age of twenty-five.

  Camouflage

  In 1914 British scientist John Graham Kerr persuaded First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill to adopt a form of disruptive camouflage which he called ‘parti-colouring’, or ‘dazzle’ camouflage. A general order to the British fleet, issued on 10 November 1914, advocated the adoption of Kerr’s method, which used masses of strongly contrasted colour, making it difficult for a submarine to decide on the exact course of the vessel to be attacked. Artists known as ‘camoufleurs’ were employed to design the camouflage of the ships, some of which were so eye-catching that people would come and gawp at them in dock. It was applied in various ways to British warships such as HMS Implacable, where officers noted that the pattern ‘increased difficulty of accurate range finding’. However, following Churchill’s departure from the Admiralty, the Royal Navy reverted to plain-grey paint schemes.

  Carbolic acid

  Carbolic acid is an antiseptic substance, also known as phenol, developed by Sir Joseph Lister, a British surgeon and pioneer of antiseptic surgery. By applying Louis Pasteur’s advances in microbiology, he promoted the idea of sterile surgery while working at the Glasgow Royal Infirmary. Lister successfully introduced carbolic acid to sterilize surgical instruments and to clean wounds, which led to a reduction in post-operative infections and made surgery safer for patients.

  Le Cateau

  The Battle of Le Cateau took place on 26 August 1914. British General Horace Smith-Dorrien took a calculated gamble during the retreat from Mons, which was against direct orders. Feeling his men were in disarray in a retreat hindered by thousands of French civilians, he decided to fight: 40,000 British troops formed a defensive line just south of the Cambrai–Le Cateau road and just west of Le Cateau itself. Britain suffered many more casualties than at Mons – 7,812 – in a hard-fought encounter. German losses were much higher, perhaps as many as 20,000. However, Smith-Dorrien’s decision meant that the rest of the retreat from Mons could be undertaken with much less arduous harassment and it could well have saved a greater part of the BEF from destruction.

  Central Powers/Allied Powers

  The Central Powers were one of the two warring factions in the Great War, composed of Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman (Turkish) empire and Bulgaria (also known as the Quadruple Alliance). This alignment originated in the alliance of Germany and Austria-Hungary, and fought against the Allied Powers that had formed around the Triple Entente. The members of the Triple Entente were the French Republic, the British empire and the Russian empire. Italy ended its alliance with the Central Powers and entered the war on the side of the entente in 1915. Japan, Belgium, Serbia, Greece, Montenegro, Romania and the Czechoslovak legions (a volunteer army) were secondary members of the entente.

  Chatelaine

  A woman who owns or controls a large house (a feminine form of chatelain, the commander of a castle).

  Chechia fez

  Chechia fez is the North African name for the conical fez, also called a taqiyah, or kufi, worn by many Muslims out of respect for the prophet Mohammed, who was thought to have covered his head. In military or ceremonial use, it is often red with a contrasting tassel; in the case of the Senegalese Tirailleurs, the tassel was of gold braid.

  Cherry bums

  ‘Cherry bums’ was a term used by Lord Cardigan for his regiment, the 11th Prince Albert’s Own Hussars, which, notoriously, he led in the Charge of the Light Brigade in 1854 in the Crimean War. The 11th Hussars wore bright red cavalry trousers in honour of the livery of Prince Albert’s House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. The term came to be used by infantrymen in sections of the army as a derogatory expression for cavalrymen in general.

  Chlorine gas and other chemical weapons

  The first use of chlorine gas in the Great War was by the German Army on 22 April 1915, at the beginning of the 2nd Battle of Ypres. Chlorine gas reacts with water in the mucus of the lungs to form hydrochloric acid, to lethal effect. It was pioneered by Fritz Haber, a German scientist, in collaboration with the chemical company IG Farben.

  The first use of gas by the British was at the Battle of Loos on 25 September 1915, but it was a disaster. The wind proved to be a problem and the gas either settled in no-man’s-land or blew back on the British trenches. Phosgene was introduced to overcome the deficiencies of chlorine. Colourless, and having a less distinctive smell than chlorine, phosgene was difficult to detect. Phosgene was deadlier than chlorine, but took longer to take effect.

  The most widely used gas of the Great War was mustard gas. It was introduced by Germany in July 1917, prior to the 3rd Battle of Ypres. Mustard gas was not particularly effective as a killing agent but disorientated the enemy and caused chaos on the battlefield. The gas remained active for several days, weeks, or even months, depending on the weather conditions. The skin of the victims blistered, they began to vomit and suffer from internal and external bleeding. It sometimes took victims four or five weeks to die.

  Chitty

  An Anglo-Indian word for ‘note’, derived from the Hindi cittha, meaning ‘note’.

  Chloroform

  Chloroform is a heavy, transparent, colourless liquid compound composed of carbon, hydrogen and chlorine which vaporizes easily and has a strong, sweet odour. It is a potent general anaesthetic which was first used in 1847 by Sir James Y. Simpson, a Scottish physician. However, chloroform can cause severe damage to internal organs, especially the heart, liver and kidneys, so is no longer used medically and has been replaced by anaesthetics with less dangerous side effects.

  Clay-kicking

  Clay-kicking is a British method of digging tunnels in clay-based soils. The clay-kicker rests on a board at a 45-degree angle from the face and inserts with his feet a tool with a rounded end. By turning the tool manually, a section of soil, can be released and placed to the side to be extracted. During the Great War, the system was used by the Royal Engineers Tunnelling Companies. Unlike German digging, which adopted pick-axes and shovels, it was virtually silent, and significantly quicker.

  Clogs

  There are two explanations of the development of the English-style clog. They may have evolved from foot pattens (soles), which were slats of wood held in place by thongs or similar strapping. These were usually worn under leather or fabric shoes to raise the wearer’s foot above the mud of the unmade road (not to mention commonly dumped human effluent and animal dung). Those too poor to afford shoes wore wood directly against the skin or hosiery, and thus the clog was developed, made partly of leather and partly of wood. The other explanation has clogs dating back to Roman times, and possibly earlier. The wearing of clogs in Britain became more visible with the Industrial Revolution, when workers needed strong, cheap footwear. The heyday of the clog in Britain was between the 1840s and 1920s and, although traditionally associated with Lancashire, they were worn all over the country (for example, in the London fish docks, fruit markets and in the mines of Kent).

  Cockney rhyming and other London slang

  Arris – bottle and glass – arse

  Barney moke – poke (sexual intercourse)

  Birch an’ broom – roo
m

  Bull an’ cow – row

  Butcher’s (hook) – look

  Cocoa/ I should Cocoa – I should say so

  Crimea – beer. Also Christmas cheer, Charlie Freer, Pig’s ear; and Daily Mail – ale

  Crown an’ Anchor – wanker

  Crust (crust of bread) – head

  Currant bun – sun

  Feather-plucker – fucker

  Fife an’ drum – bum

  Gaff – although often thought to be a Cockney expression, ‘gaff’, meaning ‘house’ or ‘place of work’, is a slang term of Irish origin.

  Gates of Rome – home

  Goose and Duck – fuck

  Granny Grunt – cunt

  Hampton (Wick) – dick

  His Majesty’s Pleasure – treasure

  Fourpenny one – fourpenny bit – hit. A fourpenny bit was an old British silver coin, also called a groat, worth four old pennies. It ceased to be minted in 1856.