Portugese Troops

[Stephen Nulty]

The GWF Home Page states that on today's date in 1917, Portugese Troops were in action for the first time in France.

I didn't know that this had occurred. What brought this about, what actions were they involved in, and what effect did their involvement have?

SN

[Stephen Nulty]

Just found some information myself at

http://www.worldwar1.com/france/portugal.htm

which suggests that the Portigese were fighting earlier.

SN

[Greenwoodman]

I believe they were involved in Africa, in Angola, before they came to the Western Front.

[DirtyDick]

I think they wore British style uniforms and helmets, but in French Horizon Blue.

Their divisions held a number of areas of the WF - in the British sector? - until 1918. One brigade or division fled the line in March '18, leaving its overstretched counterpart to hold twice as much ground.

Apparently the officers - generally from the upper classes who were hostile to the then government and ambivalent towards the War - enjoyed long periods of leave in Portugal whilst the ORs were lucky to get leave at all.

In true Anglo-Saxon arrogance of the period, Graves recalled officers saying that taking possession of former Portuguese trenches was even more unpleasant than taking over formerly French positions.

Have got some brief articles on Portuguese Navy and sailors during the period in a copy of War Illustrated.

Richard

[Guest Ian Bowbrick]

Ummm...............

[paul guthrie]

I believe they were involved in Africa, in Angola, before they came to the Western Front.

I think so too & the reason they wanted in was post war position in Africa, remember they had 2 huge colonies, Mozambique the other. I seem to remember there was fighting there too, Hew Strachan has an enormous amount of pages in his 1st of the series on WW1, tough reading but real well researched.

[FRICOURT]

They arrived at the beginning of April 1917 and underwent a couple of months "trench instruction " from the 49th Div. I have many personal reminiscences of Leeds Riflemen ( 7th & 8th WYorks) who despised them. The CO wrote that they had no idea of soldiering,were very dirty in their habits, never cleaned their equipment and would not leave their dugouts if it was raining. He blamed the Officers.

The men had various things to say about the PORK AND BEANS as they became known " terrified" , "would not leave their dugouts even to go to the latrines", "windy officers" , "we could only get them out of their dugouts at bayonet point". There is many more.

An order was issued to the Division on 3 June that they must be always referred to as "our gallant allies" and not the " Pork and Beans". ? an early form of political correctness towards our oldest ally.

[Nick Cooper]

I believe they were involved in Africa, in Angola, before they came to the Western Front.

There is the Portuguese Military Cemetery a couple of hundred metres along the road from the Indian Memorial at Neuve Chapelle. Anyone passing who visits the Memorial (which, it goes without saying, they should) can also give the Cemetery a try. When I was there I was lucky as the garderner was cutting the grass, and so he unlocked the small building at the back of the site, which contains the visitors book and some WW1 relics.