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The Somme – 110 Years Ago Today
The 1916 Battle of the Somme offensive was one of the largest and bloodiest battles of the First World War.
110 Years today the opening day of the attack 1st July 2016 saw the British Army sustain 57,000 casualties the bloodiest day in history.
Sadly the bulk of British troops involved in the Battle of the Somme were inexperienced volunteers of the New Armies they had only been recruited in 1914-1915.
Here is one poor soldiers account:-
Went over the top … after an interminable period of terrible apprehension . Our artillery seemed to increase in intensity and the German guns opened up on No Man’s Land. The din was defeaning, the fumes chocking and visibility limited owing to the dust and clouds caused by the exploding shells. It was a veritible inferno.
I was momentarily expecting to be blown to pieces. My Platoon continued to advance in good order without many casualties and had reached half way to the Boche line. Suddenly a machine gun fire opened up and my men began to fall. I dropped in a shell hole and occasionally attempted to move to my right and left but bullets were forming an impenetrable barrage and exposure of the head meant certain death. None of our men were visible but in all directions came pitiful groans and cries of pain.
Lieutenant Alfred Bundy – 1st July 1916.
Attacks continued throughout the summer, mostly a series of individual objectives. The Somme offensive ultimately included 12 seperate battles many of which became slogging matches for weeks on end. on 18th November 2016 with the weather deteriorating , General Haig shut down the offensive. The allies had only advanced 7 miles and there was still no break-through in site.
In the process the British Empire had suffered 420,000 casualties and the French 200,000 – German losses were at least 450,000 killed and wounded. .
There were so many losses among the Pals Battalions that it plunged many British Communities into grief.
Over 150,000 British Soldiers are buried on the Somme. The cemeteries that were created by the Commonwealth Ware Graves Commission and have become sites of pilgrimage.
Its a day to reflect on the horrors of war, its poignant for me as my Grandfather fought at the Somme with the Highland Light Infantry thankfully he came home but so many of his dearest friends did not.
I think about all the division in the world today, those men that fought at the Somme were completely united no matter where they were from our what they believed in, we must all work harder to remember their sacrifice and spread more kindness in our world today, otherwise what was it all for.
