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Age-33

Old Charlton

The Battle of the Somme (July-November, 1916)

On 1st July 1916 The British Army launched a massive offensive along a section of the front line running north of the River Somme. The French attacked south of it. The first day was a disaster for the British army which suffered nearly 60,000 casualties, 19,000 of whom were killed, and made hardly any inroads into the enemy lines. But the battle had to go on, if for no other reason than to relieve pressure on the French at Verdun where they had been facing the full onslaught of the powerful German Army. So it continued all the way through to November with nearly every battalion and division then in France being drawn into it at some stage. In the end the German trenches had been pushed back a few miles along most of the line but the cost in lives had been staggering. By the end of the fighting in November, 1916, British Army casualties numbered over 400,000, killed, wounded and missing.

The days immediately following the carnage of July 1st on  the Somme, had two main priorities. They were to rescue the wounded and to consolidate what gains had been made. In some cases the Germans allowed a temporary truce so that injured men could be brought back from no-man’s land, but many were not reached and they faced a lonely and anguished death. However, despite the slaughter of 1st July, there was no going back. This was the “Big Push” and the attacks had to continue and Haig decided that they would continue on the southern sector of the front where the few successes had occurred.

On 1st July, 62 Brigade of 21st Division had been in reserve but that afternoon and evening they moved up to relieve the shattered 64 Brigade near the village of  Fricourt . The following day the Germans in Fricourt, in danger of being cut off, withdrew to a more defensible position. 21st Division continued to probe these new enemy defences and on 3rd July 1st Lincolnshire attacked 2 small woods in front of them, Birch Tree and Shelter Woods, after a heavy bombardment. They met stubborn German resistance as they emerged from their dug-outs and brought their machine guns into play. 12th Northumberland Fusiliers moved up in support and were soon in action. Despite the casualties sustained the 2 woods were captured by 62 Brigade, who then, in the afternoon, had to fight off a strong German counter attack.