Current Information:

Age-23

30, Queen's Road, Finchley

Dantzig Alley British Cemetery, Mametz, France

The opening day of the Battle of the Somme 1st July 1916

This was a disastrous day for the British Army in France. Eleven divisions of Fourth Army attacked along a 15 mile front from Maricourt to Serre. Two further divisions of Third Army launched a diversionary attack just to the north of Serre at Gommecourt. For a week beforehand the British artillery pounded the German trenches but the Germans had been there for a long time and they had constructed deep, concrete reinforced shelters beneath their trenches and many survived the bombardment. The troops went over the top at 7.30am but even before they had left their overcrowded trenches, many had been killed or maimed by German artillery. The Germans knew that they were coming. Once in No-Man’s-Land the artillery continued to take its toll and then the machine guns opened up on the advancing British infantry. They fell in their thousands and the attack came to a standstill almost everywhere. Survivors sought cover wherever they could find it and at night they crawled back to their own lines, often dragging a wounded soldier with them. Only in the south were any advances made with the attack on Fricourt and Mametz. Over 19,000 British soldiers were killed on this day, including 2,500 from London.

7th East Kent were part of 55 Brigade, 18th Division which on 1st July attacked the German positions in front of Carnoy on the right of the British line.  At 7.30am, 7th Royal West Surrey and 8th East Surrey went over the top with 7th East Kent in support. Their objective was  a trench 200 yards north of the Montauban-Fricourt road.  Conditions necessitated the breaking up of 7th East Kent  for separate duties.  These included clearing the Carnoy mine crater which took 6 hours of heavy fighting. They also mopped up captured trenches and ground and manned  and consolidated Pommiers Trench when it was captured.  Others formed carrying parties and  two platoons  were called away to assist 8th East Surrey in capturing their final objective and hold it until relieved. 7th East Kent suffered two hundred casualties of whom 50 were killed. One of these was Ernest Brooks.