The Battle Of Somme Facts !

A Soldier’s Cemetery

by John William Streets (killed and missing in action on 1st July 1916 aged 31)

Behind that long and lonely trenched line

To which men come and go, where brave men die,

There is a yet unmarked and unknown shrine,

A broken plot, a soldier’s cemetery.

There lie the flower of youth, the men who scorn’d

To live (so died) when languished Liberty:

Across their graves flowerless and unadorned

Still scream the shells of each artillery.

When war shall cease this lonely unknown spot

Of many a pilgrimage will be the end,

And flowers will shine in this now barren plot

And fame upon it through the years descend:

But many a heart upon each simple cross

Will hang the grief, the memory of its loss.

Introduction !

The battle also known as "The Somme Offensive" started from July 1st-November 18th, 1916 in the Somme department, either side of the Somme river, France.

A map showing the area where the Battle Of Somme took place

The Somme River today

This offensive was planned late 1915 and was meant to be a French-British attack on the German lines. But before they could proceed with the attack, the Germans attacked the French in The City Of Verdun resulting in the distraction of the French. The French commander in chief, Joseph Joffre urged the new British commander in chief, Douglas Haig to commence with the attack to put more pressure on the Germans, and help the French at Verdun.

Joseph Joffre

Douglas Haig

The plan

Douglas was now in full charge of the attack, but it took him very slowly to plan it which irritated Joffre since the French needed relief from the Germans as soon as possible. Joffre's original purpose of that battle was to drain the German's forces of reserves and to obtain territorial gain. Haig believed that he could successfully invade the German lines, but he had a very under-equipped and unprepared army.

Haig's plan was to attack with an artillery barrage and he expected that it would destroy all the front German defences, and allow them to go across No Man's Land and posses Germany's front lines from the wounded German troops.

*Artillery barrage: A heavy firing of mounted guns and cannons, intended to slow enemy action or allow troops to advance with fewer casualties.

Preparations

5 days prior to the attack, the British unloaded 1.5 million artillery ammunition hoping to weaken the Germans front lines.

WW1 Artillery ammunition

First day of the battle

On July 1st, 1916, 7:30 a.m. thousands of British and French troops began their advance towards No Man's land to the Germans.

A news paper clipping on the news of the battle of Somme in the evening of the 1st day of the attack (July 1st,1916)

Results of the first day

57,500 British soldiers (1/3 of the army) were killed, wounded or missing on the 1st day and it was known as the heaviest day's combat losses ever suffered by the British Army. It only took the Germans a few minutes to wipe out the advancing soldiers. They didn't need to aim, all they had to do was reload and shoot.

The Germans waiting to wipe out the attacking enemies with the German machine guns