Bell's Redoubt memorial on the Mametz road out of Contalmaison where Donald Bell VC fell in July 1916
Bell's Redoubt memorial on the Mametz road out of Contalmaison, was unveiled on Sunday 9 July 2000 the day before the 84th anniversary of Bell’s death a few metres from where it stands. Donald Simpson Bell was born in Harrogate Yorkshire on the 3 December 1890. He studied at Westminster College Oxford where he was a great athlete playing rugby, cricket & football. As a teacher in Harrogate he played amateur football and was asked to play for Bradford Park Avenue FC as a professional. This is a different team to the modern Bradford City FC — The Avenue still exist in their own right. He made his début against Wolverhampton Wanderers (Wolves) on 13 April 1913 and went on to make five league appearances for Bradford before the outbreak of the war in August 1914. Within weeks of war breaking out Bell asked to be released from his contract & joined the West Yorkshire Regiment, becoming the first professional footballer to enlist. Bell soon rose through the ranks & was commissioned as 2nd Lt in 9th Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment (The Green Howards) in June 1915 On 5th July the Green Howards were ordered to capture Horseshoe Trench on high ground between La Boisselle and Mametz. As they left their trenches a German machine gun position began to enfilade the 9th Battalion causing many casualties & halting the advance On his own initiative, Bell & two of his men went up one of the communication trenches toward the gun. When as close as they could get Bell made a dash over open ground & surprised the machine gun crew. He shot the gunner with his revolver & blew up the remainder with Mills bombs He got the V C On 10th July Donald Bell & a bombing party were to assault the village of Contalmaison This was done but the Germans counter attacked twice It was then that Bell led his bombing party past the barricades to drive them back The Germans were driven off but Bell was killed in the action A wooden cross with a surrounding railing was erected where he fell.
Size: 3053px × 4000px
Location: Contalmaison Somme France
Photo credit: © Niall Ferguson / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: bell, bradford, contalmaison, cross, football, france, great, green, howards, memorial, redoubt, regt, vc, victoria, war, yorkshire
