The Somme

Having gone through the loss of a brave family member at war and the intense feeling of grief felt by all my family, it is difficult to comprehend the grief of 19000 familes in Britain at that time.

Thanks for posting this Droney

We Will Remember them.

My father was wounded a total of five times.

A snipit from my book "You Two! Fall in - in three Ranks!"


THE FOLLOWING IS A SUMMARY OF MY FATHER’S MILITARY CAREER.

SILKSTONE, Martin (D.C.M., M.M.), Company Sergeant Major, 1st West Yorks. Regiment.
Mobilised in August 1914, he was immediately drafted to the Western Front, where he took part in the fighting at Mons. He also fought in the Battle of Ypres and the Somme plus many other important engagements, and was wounded in action a total of five times.
He was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for great gallantry and devotion to duty, displayed in taking entire charge of his Company when all his officers were killed, and was granted the Military Medal for conspicuous bravery in the Field. He also holds the Mons Star, General Service and Victory Medals, and was discharged in April 1920.

Very bad planning on 1 July 1916 saw the British Army suffer nearly 60,000 casualties.

Rest In Peace, May their names always be remembered.

MacAdder said:

Very bad planning on 1 July 1916 saw
the British Army suffer nearly 60,000 casualties.

Click to expand...

Men advancing across open field's covered with barbed wire,
not allowed to run or take cover, the German's facing them with
machine guns it was like lamb's to the slaughter. while the Generals
way back from the fighting thought that the casualties where acceptable.


PBI

The allied artillery was supposed to open gaps in the barbed wire but altitude shrapnel artillery shells were used rather than the required impact explosives so the wire was un-scathed.
The reason why the troops walked was that it was suggested that the troops would have been exhorted and unable to fight caring full battle kit if they ran to reach their objectives.
Walking through machine gun emplacement cross fire and under artillery was suicide.
Lions led by donkeys.

36th Division sapped across no man's land, ran the final yards, captured the single most important German position on the entire Somme front.
18th & 30th Divisions smashed the German positions all along the east-west section of the line, captured Mametz & Montauban.
Not a bad day's work by some.