Appendix 6
A Tour of the Somme Battlefield
These notes have been prepared as a guide for the general visitor to that part of the Somme covered by the book, and features described are connected, if possible, to incidents in the text. Only easily recognizable features are included; these are marked on map 11 with a number which corresponds with the bold bracketed numbering in this appendix. It is unfortunate that many interesting positions have been obliterated with the passage of time. All places of interest and comments appertain to 1 July 1916, unless otherwise stated.
The tour is intended to be made by car and all features are directly accessible by road, track or short footpath. Those who wish to walk the battlefield are advised to do so in spring or early summer, when the trench lines can be clearly seen as lines of chalk in the fields, or in the autumn when the wheat has been harvested. Farmers are used to such visitors. Care should be taken in some woods, where there are animal traps, and all unexploded missiles should be regarded as dangerous.
There are many more cemeteries than those included in these notes. All have a visitors’ book and a register; the introduction to the register always makes useful reading and tells the visitor what happened in that area. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission, 32 Grosvenor Gardens, London S.W.1, will give the exact location of any grave, but at least two weeks should be allowed for replies. A useful purchase from the Commission is the Michelin 1:200,000 map, overprinted with all Commonwealth war cemeteries in this area.
Albert is a natural centre for a tour. It has several modest hotels, a caravan park and the local War Graves Commission office (25 rue Jean-Guyon). Arras and Amiens, although some distance away, are much bigger than Albert and have better hotels and more amenities.
Foncquevillers. This village, just behind the British front line, was the ‘home’ of the 46th (North Midland) Division for nearly a year.
In the Foncquevillers Military Cemetery (1) are buried many of the men of the 46th Division who were killed while that division held this sector, including some who were killed on 1 July and whose bodies were recovered from the German wire and No Man’s Land when the Germans retired in 1917 (page 297). Among these is Capt. J. L. Green, v.c, R.A.M.C. (page 191).
Gommecourt. The Gommecourt Salient was the objective of the diversionary attack by 46th (North Midland) and 56th (London) Divisions. It was evacuated by the Germans in February 1917.
The Gommecourt Wood New Cemetery (2) was formed after the war from nine small battlefield cemeteries and lies in the middle of the old No Man’s Land over which the Staffordshire Brigade attacked. Many of the graves are of North Midland Division men and the cemetery is dedicated to that division. 465 of the 749 graves are ‘unknowns’.
The German front line ran along the edge of Gommecourt Park (3) and the remains of the trench can be easily seen near the Gommecourt-Hébuterne road. The London Rifle Brigade succeeded in getting into these trenches and it was along the road to Hébuterne that Rfmn Hollis took his message (page 215). Inside the park, the ground is still heavily cratered in contrast to the level fields outside.
Gommecourt British Cemetery No. 2 (4) is another that was made up from several smaller cemeteries. It lies in the middle of the No Man’s Land over which the London Division attacked and contains mostly men from that division.
Serre. The objective of the 31st Division which was on the left flank of the main Fourth Army attack. Serre did not fall until the Germans retired in 1917. A memorial to the Sheffield City Battalion (5) stands in the village.
Railway Hollow Cemetery (6) (by footpath). This cemetery forms part of the Sheffield Park on the edge of which a portion of the old British front-line trench can be found (near the gate), although it was the Accrington Pals who actually attacked from this trench. A short walk across the field facing the park – that is, across the old No Man’s Land – brings the visitor to a grass field. Here can be found, on the site of the German front line, the roof of a concrete machine-gun post.
The Serre Road Cemetery No. 1 (7) is a large cemetery on the No Man’s Land over which the Leeds and Bradford Pals attacked. A French military cemetery nearby is a reminder that this was once a French sector.
The Serre Road Cemetery No. 2 (8) is another large cemetery, this time on the site of the German Quadrilateral Redoubt. It was in the tool shed of this cemetery that Mr Leech hid many Allied airmen from the Germans in 1940–44.
The Sucrerie Military Cemetery, Colincamps (9) (by rough track). Many battalions had to march past the ruined sugar beet factory on their way to the attack. Some passed the mass graves dug nearby, ready for the battle (page 109). The cemetery now contains many graves from the 4th Division. Four lieutenant-colonels were buried side-by-side here (page 249) but, after the war, the graves of only two could be identified.
Beaumont Hamel. This village was the objective of the 29th Division but was not taken until 13 November.
The Hawthorn Ridge Redoubt Mine (10) was the first of the big mines to be exploded on 1 July (page 119). The crater is on the highest point in a grass field just south of the Beaumont Hamel–Auchonvillers road and can only be reached by foot.
The Newfoundland Memorial Park (11). Here are preserved the trenches on the ground over which the Newfoundlanders made their disastrous attack (page 188). For many years the barbed-wire defences were also preserved but these had to be removed as too many sheep were trapped in the wire. The park is the property of the people of Newfoundland and a bronze caribou commemorates their battalion. A unique cemetery at the far end of the park contains the bodies of men from the 31st (Highland) Division which took Beaumont Hamel in November. Their dead were buried in a large shell hole, now Hunter’s Cemetery.
Thiepval. The village was the objective of the 32nd Division, while the Schwaben Redoubt, north of the village, was the scene of the famous advance of the 36th (Ulster) Division. Thiepval was finally taken on 26 September by the 18th (Eastern) Division.
The Ulster Tower (12) stands on that part of the German front line taken by the Ulster Division. The tower is an exact replica of Helen’s Tower at Clandeboyne, near Belfast; visitors may, by arrangement with the caretaker, go to the top of the tower from where they can see how easily the German machine-gunners in the ruins of Thiepval village enfiladed the advancing Ulstermen. There is a swastika cut into the stonework on the top of the tower by a German soldier of the Second World War.
Thiepval Wood and the Connaught Cemetery (13). (Thiepval Wood is marked on French maps as Bois d’Authuille.) It was from the edge of the wood that the Ulster Division attacked and the Connaught Cemetery, which contains many Ulster graves, lies in No Man’s Land in the middle of their divisional front.
The Mill Road Cemetery (14) (by footpath). This is on the site of the Schwaben Redoubt and the headstones of the graves were laid flat, for fear of subsidence in the old tunnels and dug-outs in the redoubt.
The Thiepval Memorial (15). This huge memorial commemorates the 73,077 British soldiers missing on the Somme in 1916 and 1917, although the bodies or graves of 1,002 men have been found since erection. Of those soldiers mentioned in the book, the following are named on the memorial: the three Ulster v.c.’s – Pte Billy McFad-zean, Capt. Bell and Lieut Cather; Pte Dick King of the 10th K.O.Y.L.I.s; 2nd Lieut Arthur, the Cheshire Pioneer officer; and C.S.M. ‘Matt’ Hamilton of the London Scottish.
The memorial stands on the site of the ruins of Thiepval Château, one of the strongest positions in the German line. A small cemetery, in front of the memorial, contains 300 British and 300 French graves, a symbol of the united effort of the two allies on the Somme in 1916. These graves are on the old German front line where men of their 99th Reserve Regiment stood on the parapet and taunted the Newcastle Commercials who were pinned down in No Man’s Land.
A village lady in a cottage near the memorial sells genuine battle souvenirs.
Authuille. This village was just behind the British trenches on the 32nd Division’s sector.
The Leipzig Salient (16). This German-held position was the scene of very fierce fighting (page 147) and was the only permanent gain of the 32nd Division. It was here that Sgt James Turnbull, v.c., of the Glasgow Commercials, was killed. It is now a disused chalk quarry, planted with rows of poplars, and can be reached by car along a track.
The Lonsdale Cemetery (17) (by footpath) is where the 11th Border (known as the Lonsdales) suffered heavy casualties as they advanced from the shelter of Authuille Wood (Bois de la Haie). One of the graves is that of Sgt Turnbull, v.c.
Ovillers. The objective of the unsuccessful 8th Division; it took two weeks of heavy fighting to capture the village.
Ovillers Military Cemetery (18) overlooks the notorious Mash Valley which lies between Ovillers and the main Albert–Bapaume road. It was in Mash Valley that so many of the 8th Division, including the 2nd Middlesex which had to cross 750 yards of the valley to reach the German trenches, were killed. Sir Harry Lauder’s son, Capt. J. C. Lauder (killed December 1916), is buried in the cemetery. It was after his death that Sir Harry wrote the famous song ‘Keep Right on to the End of the Road’.
La Boisselle. This village, on the spur between the valleys of Sausage and Mash, was the objective of the 34th Division, which suffered more casualties than any other division on 1 July. Many of these casualties were caused by the German machine-guns at La Boisselle. The village fell to the 19th (Western) Division on 4 July.
Y Sap Mine Crater (19) was one of the two large mines blown at La Boisselle (page 120). Its position shows how the German trenches, which ran alongside the main road at this point, over-looked the British troops attacking up Mash Valley. The new crater was a few yards from the main road but has now been filled in.
The Tyneside Memorial Seat (20), on the other side of the road, is on the site of the German front-line trench and commemorates the attack of the Tyneside Scottish and Tyneside Irish.
In a field, near the village, can be seen the numerous small craters of the Glory Hole sector (21), where the opposing trenches were so close.
The Lochnager Mine Crater (22) was the largest mine exploded on 1 July and, during that day, became a place of refuge for many men of the 34th Division (pages 135 and 218). From the raised lip of this crater the visitor can get a perfect view of two important features. To the south is Sausage Valley, not quite as spectacular as Mash Valley, but still a deadly place on 1 July, where the Grimsby Chums, the Cambridge Battalion and the two Edinburgh City Battalions suffered heavy casualties. To the west, in the direction of Albert, can be seen the long ridge of the Tara–Usna Line. The 3,000 men of the Tyneside Irish Brigade had to advance from the top of the ridge, down the open slope and across Avoca Valley (page 141). It can be seen how they presented a perfect target to the German machine-gunners in and around La Boisselle.
Albert. This was the only town immediately behind this part of the British front and thousands of British soldiers looked up at the leaning Virgin on their way to the trenches. The Basilica has been rebuilt and now appears exactly as it did before the war in 1914. On 1 July it was used as a Dressing Station (page 229). The River Ancre still flows beneath the church. The link between Albert and Birmingham has now been dropped. In 1962, the Communist town council of Albert made a new link, this time with the East German town of Niesky, near Dresden.
Bécordel-Béourt. The village of Bécordel and nearby Bécourt Château were just behind the British lines.
The Norfolk Cemetery (23) contains the graves of many men of the 21st Division which successfully captured its objectives between Sausage Valley and Fricourt. One of these graves is that of Maj. S. W. Loudoun-Shand, v.c. (page 135).
The Dartmoor Cemetery (24) was next to a Dressing Station and was used for several weeks after the opening of the battle. Among those buried here are: Lieut-Col. H. Allardice, an Indian Army officer commanding the 13th Northumberland Fusiliers and killed on 1 July; Lieut Henry Webber, the sixty-eight-year-old officer (page 293); Pte J. Miller, 7th King’s Own, who won a v.c. and was killed at the end of July; Sgt G. Lee and Cpl R. F. Lee, a father and son serving in a London artillery unit who were killed on the same day in September 1916.
Fricourt. The objective of a brigade of the 17th (Northern) Division and evacuated by the Germans during the night of 1–2 July.
Fricourt British Cemetery (Bray Road) (25). Here, in the middle of the old No Man’s Land, are buried the men of the 7th Green Howards, many of whom were killed when one company attacked in error in the morning (page 138).
Fricourt New Military Cemetery (26) (access by a track) is situated in the middle of the No Man’s Land over which the 10th West Yorks attacked in the morning and the 7th East Yorks in the afternoon (page 206). The 10th West Yorks suffered more casualties than any other battalion during the day. The cemetery contains the graves of 159 men of the 10th West Yorks, including their c.o., and 38 men of the 7th East Yorks.
The Triple Tambour Mine Craters (27) are in a grass field approximately 100 yards south of the last cemetery and can only be reached by foot. There are three overlapping craters of mines which were blown under the German front line. Some accounts say that only two mines exploded at the time, the third failing because of damp. Possibly it was exploded later to dispose of the explosive.
The German Cemetery (28). This is the only cemetery for German dead in the area covered by this book. After 1918, the Germans, a vanquished nation, had no organization like the War Graves Commission and their dead were buried in one large, utilitarian cemetery which is a harsh contrast to over 100 more intimate British cemeteries in this area. There are approximately 5,000 German soldiers buried here, each wooden cross carrying at least two names. A high proportion of German dead were never recovered from the Somme battlefield.
Mametz. Captured by the 7th Division in the afternoon of 1 July.
Dantzig Alley British Cemetery (29). This large cemetery is sited on an important German trench that was captured by the right-hand battalions of the 7th Division. It contains many 1 July graves from the 7th, 18th and 30th Divisions.
Mansel Copse and the Shrine (30). This is the scene of the attack of the 9th Devons, where Capt. D. L. Martin predicted his men would be caught from the fire of a German machine-gun at the Shrine (pages 86 and 125). The Devonshire Cemetery, a beautiful cemetery on the top of Mansel Copse, contains the graves of 160 men of the 8th and 9th Devons who fell on 1 July. Among these are Capt. Martin and Lieut W. N. Hodgson, the poet.
In the civilian cemetery of Mametz, there is a large crucifix which is on the site of the old Shrine. It can be seen, from here, how the German machine-gunners had an easy target as the Devons came over and around Mansel Copse.
The Gordon Cemetery (31) is the burial place of six second-lieutenants and ninety-three men of the 2nd Gordon Highlanders who were killed on 1 July and were buried in one of their old trenches.
Carnoy. A village behind the British trenches held by the successful 18th (Eastern) Division. The village square was full of wounded on the afternoon of the battle and it was here that L/Cpl Charles Matthews had to wait, under fire, for evacuation (page 230).
The Carnoy Military Cemetery (32) contains the grave of Capt. W. P. Nevill, the 8th East Surreys company commander who gave his platoons footballs to kick across No Man’s Land (pages 86 and 124). His headstone bears the badge of his old regiment, the East Yorks.
The Kasino Point Mine Crater (33) is difficult of access, being in a ploughed field north-west of the Carnoy–Montauban Road. This is the mine which was late being fired and then spread its debris so far that many British soldiers were hit (page 126).
Montauban. This village was captured by the 30th Division on the morning of 1 July. It was the first village to fall to the British in the Battle of the Somme.
A single brick chimney, built in the 1920s, is all that remains of the Brickworks (34) that were captured by the 4th Liverpool Pals (page 212). Although the original Briqueterie was a few yards south of this chimney, it can be seen how near was Bernafay Wood. No attempt was made to capture this wood until two days later.
This concludes the tour of the British battle front of 1 July 1916. The visitor may wish to see some of the main features connected with later stages of the Battle of the Somme.
Trônes Wood has a memorial to the 18th (Eastern) Division (35). Just inside the entrance of the Guillemont Road Cemetery (36) is the grave of Lieut Raymond Asquith, the prime minister’s son, who was killed in September. There is the South African National Memorial and a large cemetery at Delville Wood (37) and, up a track due north of Longueval, is a New Zealand Memorial (38). At High Wood (39) (Bois des Forceaux) there is a cemetery named after another London Division.
Just off the main road to Bapaume is the Butte de Warlencourt (40), a small hill which marked the limit of the British advance during the Battle of the Somme.
Returning in the direction of Albert, one passes the Canadian Memorial (41) and arrives at the interesting village of Pozières which was an objective of the first day of the battle but was not taken until 26 July There are several interesting features in and around the village. The Windmill (42) was the highest part of the Pozieres Ridge and is a simple, but effective, memorial to Australian troops. An interesting memorial (43) to the first tanks in action is on the other side of the road, although the tank attack was at Flers, three miles away. The village church (44) is where Herr Kircher was shelled out of his observation post (page 101); this is not the original church, of course.
The Pozières Memorial to the Missing of 1918 (45) is a reminder that this ground was fought over twice more before the war finished.