THE WESTERN FRONT ASSOCIATION,CLEVELAND BRANCH

All are welcome to our meetings, WFA members and non-members alike.

15 May 11^th Battalion Durham Light Infantry, ‘In Their Own Names’- Martin Bashforth

Martin will be looking at the formation, training and actions of the battalion through the letters of some of the soldiers who served with it.

19 June Some Problems of Coalition Warfare – Professor John Derry

Professor Derry will be looking into the relationship between the British and French armies and the challenges and difficulties that arose during the war.

17 July The War Diaries of Tom Dary – Colin Hatton

Colin will be talking about the life and military career of local man, Tom Dary, who kept a diary from 1916 to 1919 and won the Military Medal for his actions.

16 Aug No Meeting

18 Sept ‘The Suicide Club’, ‘K’ Class Submarines– Brian Teasdale

Designed to be fast enough to operate with the Battle Fleet, this class of submarines soon became known as the ‘Kalamity’ Class. Brian will be telling the story of this notorious class of submarines.

16 Oct The Waggoners Reserve– Ian McInnes

. Ian will be telling the story of these men from the Yorkshire Wolds who were recruited to provide a core of trained wagon drivers to supply front line positions on the Western Front.

20 Nov 8 DLI and the Battle of the Lys– Clive Bowery

After being battered on the Somme in March 1918, 8^th Battalion, Durham Light Infantry was moved to the quiet area of the River Lys to rest and train up its large drafts of young reinforcements. However the German Army had other ideas. Clive will be telling the story of the battalion’s traumatic experiences in trying to hold up the next great German attack.

Branch Chairman: Sean Godfrey

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