Morale was generally extremely high. Entirely typical is this account from Pte. Arthur Edwin Wrench of the 5th Battalion Seaforth Highlanders in the 51st (Highland) Division, who kept a diary from 1915 till 1919. In a preface written in Glasgow in 1921, he recalled how on his journey through France to the front:

We stopped at several stations on the way where parties of ladies fed us with sandwiches, cakes and tea. Then as we started on our way, wet eyes, sad faces and waving handkerchiefs receded from us as we raised our battle-cry enthusiastically ‘Are we downhearted? No!’ Their tears were none of our business, for this adventure was far too thrilling and exciting, and I do believe now that each one of us, like every other soldier going to war for the first time, fondly imagined that this draft was on its way to deal the final and decisive blow, and achieve the last triumph. What a delusion… Yet through it all one’s optimism emerged supreme and this was the thing that kept our spirits alive and the souls burning within us as we tried to keep our faith with those at home who trusted in us and upon whose promises we also relied.45

The BEF was divided into five armies, each of which was made up of between two and four corps. Each corps was commanded by a lieutenant-general and consisted of a number of infantry divisions, and could number up to 120,000 men. Each infantry division, commanded by a major-general, consisted of three infantry brigades and included up to 12,000 infantry as well as 2,000 Royal Engineers and pioneers, 3,500 artillerymen, 750 medical as well as supply staff, and could thus number 20,000 at full strength. At the time of the Battle of the Somme, an infantry brigade was composed of four infantry battalions, each with its engineer, signals, mortar, machine gun and ambulance units. Although each battalion, commanded by a lieutenant-colonel, was supposed to number around 1,100 men, very often after illness, wounds, leave and other factors diminished the unit, they could often actually field only around two-thirds of that number. Battalions had four companies of around 200 men commanded by a major or captain, which were divided into four platoons each commanded by a lieutenant, and these consisted of four sections commanded by a sergeant.46

The BEF’s order of battle on the Somme on 1 July comprised two armies (the 3rd and 4th), six corps (III, VIII, X, XIII, XV and VII), and seventeen infantry divisions comprising fifty-one brigades. Every division had a pioneer battalion of fully trained infantrymen who were also specialists in digging trenches, laying out barbed wire and all the other back-breaking labouring duties associated with trench warfare. As a general rule, the 1st and 2nd battalions of a regiment comprised its Regulars, the 3rd and 4th its Territorials, and the 5th onwards its Kitchener New Army volunteers. Those conscripted after January 1916 went into its service battalions.