Current Information:

Age-26

Lee Terrace, Blackheath

Bouzincourt Communal Cemetery, 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. 

On 1st July, 32nd Division attacked from assembly trenches on the lower slopes of the Thiepval spur from Authuille Wood to Thiepval Wood with 97 Brigade and 96 Brigade on the left. 14 Brigade were in reserve and as the attack moved off at 7.30am, they moved forward to Authuille Wood. 19th Lancashire Fusiliers, were followed by 1st Dorset and got a smoke screen to cover their passage across no-man’s land but nevertheless the three leading companies  all suffered heavy casualties and only 40 of them reached the Leipzig Redoubt which by now was getting crowded.  Believing that Thiepval village had been successfully captured, the British artillery stopped any further shelling there and the German defenders were able to mop up the attack of 32nd Division. By nightfall, all those who were able to had returned to their own front line. One of those who did not make it back was Arthur Dussee.