Not everyone thought the First World War would be over by Christmas.
Expecting a long war, Lord Kitchener called for volunteers for a New Army
The 17th (Northern) Division was one of these Divisions.
The 17th Division’s first service was in Ypres Salient, under the command of Lieut.-General Sir E. H. H. Allenby, K. C. B.
The Division moved to the Somme in June 1916, by which time, hopes of an early victory had long passed.
On the Somme, the Division took part in some great attacks and suffered severely.
The fighting took the Division through a harsh winter, where many died from the fighting and illness.
Despite the loss of so many of its men, the 17th Division served gallantly in the many arenas of The Great War.
The Division, that started with young, potentially untrained men, left a trail of great achievements in its wake: The Somme battle in 2016, the capture of Neuvilly in October, 1918, the capture of Futoy and its advance through Mormal forest, also in 1918, amongst other highly successful achievements.
A. Hilliard Atteridge (1844-1941) was the author of a number of books on conflict. His work includes: The Wars of the Nineties, Famous Modern Battles and The Army.
