Battalions
fact of the matter was that the myth of walking across the German Lines without any opposition began to feed its way down amongst the rank and file. Here are some extracts from speeches made to various Regiments;
Lance Sergeant Edward Dyke T. Irish
were paraded and usually addressed by the Brigadier General. The speeches varied but the
" You will meet nothing but dead and wounded Germans. You will advance to Mouquet Farm and be there by 11am. The field kitchens will follow you and give you a good meal. "
" You will be able to go over the top with a walking stick, you will not need rifles, when you get to Thiepval you will find the Germans all dead, not even a rat will have survived. "
" Success is assured and casualties are expected to be ten percent "
" When you go over the top, you can slope arms, light up your pipes and cigarettes and march all the way to Pozieres before meeting any live Germans "
" Success is assured and casualties are expected to be ten percent "
" When you go over the top, you can slope arms, light up your pipes and cigarettes and march all the way to Pozieres before meeting any live Germans "
It all sounded very easy and the noise in the background of hundreds of their guns, firing night and day into the German lines added reassurance. While the Generals were giving their pep talks, the five day bombarment was entering its final stage. After three or four days of continuous shelling, most of the targets should have been destroyed. Of these targets the wire, a vital one for the infantry, was the only one where the damage could easily be assessed. Each night small patrols went out into No-Mans-Land and inspected the effects of the shelling. The reports were inconsistant. In some places the wire was well cut; in others there were few gaps which if not dealt with would become death traps. In other places the wire was intact. One party, at least found the Germans had come out of the trenches during the lull in the shelling and were calmly repairing the damage to the wire. Renewed efforts were made on some sectors. the artillery was diverted from other targets for a fresh bombardment of the wire and the infantry went out at night with special explosive devices to destroy what was left standing. But these attempts were dangerous and only small gaps could be made, even when raids were successful.
There was no worse a nightmare for a commanding officer than seeing undmaged belts of wire in front of positions that were due to be attacked by his men. One such nightmare was that experienced by Lieutenant Colonel E.T. F Sandys Commanding officer of the 2nd Battalion Middlesex Regiment. His battalion would attack alongside the Tyneside Scottish and had the doubtful distinction of having to cross a greater width of
No-Mans-Land than any other involved in the attack. The battalions objective was the German trenches at the head of Mash Valley, 750 yards away from the Middlesex front line. This was also where the 25th Battalion Tyneside Irish would be moving up in support of the leading infantry. The battalefield here is open and exposed and Infantry attacking into the valley would be in full view of enemy machine gun fire from Ovillers and La Boiselle. Sandys was an efficient and popular C.O but he was very highly strung and had convinced himself that his battalion was to be launched against uncut wire and Germans who had survived the shelling.
During the bombardment the 2nd Royal Berks, which was in the same Brigade as Sandys' battalion, raided the German trenches. Making a silent approach, they were surprised to hear the sound of singing coming from the deep- dugouts in the German trenches. Doubtless Sandys heard this very discouraging news. He spent many daylight hours in an artillery observation post staring at the wire nearly half a mile away, but it was difficult to see clearly. At night he could not sleep but walked aimlessly around the camp where his men were bivouacked. He was so consumed with anxiety and felt the responsibility of his position so keenly that he complained to his Brigade Commander, and possibly even higher, but to no avail.
There was no worse a nightmare for a commanding officer than seeing undmaged belts of wire in front of positions that were due to be attacked by his men. One such nightmare was that experienced by Lieutenant Colonel E.T. F Sandys Commanding officer of the 2nd Battalion Middlesex Regiment. His battalion would attack alongside the Tyneside Scottish and had the doubtful distinction of having to cross a greater width of
No-Mans-Land than any other involved in the attack. The battalions objective was the German trenches at the head of Mash Valley, 750 yards away from the Middlesex front line. This was also where the 25th Battalion Tyneside Irish would be moving up in support of the leading infantry. The battalefield here is open and exposed and Infantry attacking into the valley would be in full view of enemy machine gun fire from Ovillers and La Boiselle. Sandys was an efficient and popular C.O but he was very highly strung and had convinced himself that his battalion was to be launched against uncut wire and Germans who had survived the shelling.
During the bombardment the 2nd Royal Berks, which was in the same Brigade as Sandys' battalion, raided the German trenches. Making a silent approach, they were surprised to hear the sound of singing coming from the deep- dugouts in the German trenches. Doubtless Sandys heard this very discouraging news. He spent many daylight hours in an artillery observation post staring at the wire nearly half a mile away, but it was difficult to see clearly. At night he could not sleep but walked aimlessly around the camp where his men were bivouacked. He was so consumed with anxiety and felt the responsibility of his position so keenly that he complained to his Brigade Commander, and possibly even higher, but to no avail.
Above left, British shells landing on German positions during the opening bombardment of the Somme offensive. In the front can be seen the British barb wire defences. Right, empty shell cases, a small fraction of the shells that would actually be fired during the week long bombardment of the German positions., Tragically a high percentage would be duds.
The Middlesex officers knew their Colonel's misery but did not share it. They could hear the guns firing day and night and they shared the widespread belief that the attack would be an easy success. Infantry commanders like Lieutenant Colonel Sandys who raised objections were not well received, being told that they were exaggerating or that they were windy. Maybe a Fourth Army order had hardened the attitude; Rawlinson had warned ' All criticism by subordinates will, in the end recoil on the heads of the critics ' Rawlinson's subordinates faithfully passed his optimism on to those further down the chain of command. A Brigade Major in the 31st Division records " The Corps Commander ( Hunter-Weston ) was extremely optimistic, telling everyone that the wire had been blown away, although we could see it standing strong and well, and there would be no German trenches and all we had to do was to walk into Serre ( Public Record Office, CAB 45/188 )
In the week that the bombardment lasted, 1,437 British guns had fired 1, 508,652 shells into the German lines at a cost to the British taxpayer of approximately £6 million.
On the morning of the 1st july 1916, a gentle haze spread across the battlefield which promised a fine day ahead.
The last hour of waiting was the worst. Zero hour for the attack had been set at 7.30am. At 6.35 am the guns which had been firing incessantly all night, roared out in the crescendo of the final bombardment. The German artillery began to reply, causing casualties amongst the heavily crowded British trenches. At 7.28 am, two minutes before zero hour two mines were fired on each side of the Albert-Bapaume road. These were at ' Y sap ' and. Men had already been pulled back from the front lines trenches so as not to be hit by the falling debris. The Lochnagar mine contained 24 tons of explosives and were at the time, the largest mines ever detonated. The explosion was witnessed from the air by 2nd Lieutenant C.A Lewis of No3 Squadron RFC:
" The whole earth heaved and flashed, a tremendous and magnificent column rose up in the sky.
There was an ear splitting roar drowning all the guns, flinging the machine sideways in the
repercussing air. The earth colum rose higher and higher to almost 4,000 feet. There it hung, or
seemed to hang, for a moment in the air, like the silouette of some great cypress tree, then fell
away in a widening cone of dust and debris "
In the week that the bombardment lasted, 1,437 British guns had fired 1, 508,652 shells into the German lines at a cost to the British taxpayer of approximately £6 million.
On the morning of the 1st july 1916, a gentle haze spread across the battlefield which promised a fine day ahead.
The last hour of waiting was the worst. Zero hour for the attack had been set at 7.30am. At 6.35 am the guns which had been firing incessantly all night, roared out in the crescendo of the final bombardment. The German artillery began to reply, causing casualties amongst the heavily crowded British trenches. At 7.28 am, two minutes before zero hour two mines were fired on each side of the Albert-Bapaume road. These were at ' Y sap ' and. Men had already been pulled back from the front lines trenches so as not to be hit by the falling debris. The Lochnagar mine contained 24 tons of explosives and were at the time, the largest mines ever detonated. The explosion was witnessed from the air by 2nd Lieutenant C.A Lewis of No3 Squadron RFC:
" The whole earth heaved and flashed, a tremendous and magnificent column rose up in the sky.
There was an ear splitting roar drowning all the guns, flinging the machine sideways in the
repercussing air. The earth colum rose higher and higher to almost 4,000 feet. There it hung, or
seemed to hang, for a moment in the air, like the silouette of some great cypress tree, then fell
away in a widening cone of dust and debris "
Another soldier in the Grimbsy Chums directly in front of the explosion described how " A private braced himself against the side of the trench with one leg placed against the other side. When the mine exploded the shock waves actually fractured his leg below the knee, and i heard later, it had to be amputated " One soldier out in
No-Mans-Land described his experience " The whole world seemed to be moving; the earth moved sideways and back three times before the final explosion of the mine. I saw the debris rise hundreds of feet into the air and then it began to fall back with a noise rising above the bombarment. I thought, " This is it ", and buried my head underneath my tin hat and arms, waiting for the first clout. However it missed me but caught some of the men on my left " The time now approached. The men were ready, bayonets fixed, rifles loaded and equipment adjusted. Young officers stood with whistles in their mouths looking at their watches as the seconds ticked away.
No-Mans-Land described his experience " The whole world seemed to be moving; the earth moved sideways and back three times before the final explosion of the mine. I saw the debris rise hundreds of feet into the air and then it began to fall back with a noise rising above the bombarment. I thought, " This is it ", and buried my head underneath my tin hat and arms, waiting for the first clout. However it missed me but caught some of the men on my left " The time now approached. The men were ready, bayonets fixed, rifles loaded and equipment adjusted. Young officers stood with whistles in their mouths looking at their watches as the seconds ticked away.
