Current Information:

Born-Blackheath

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, 1916, 8th Division attacked the Ovillers spur with 23 Brigade on the right, attacking along the exposed slopes of Mash Valley, 25 Brigade in the centre moving against Ovillers and 70 Brigade on the left along the slopes of Nab Valley. 25 Brigade attacked with the 2nd Royal Berkshire battalion and 2nd Lincolnshire with 1st Royal Irish Rifles in support and 2nd Rifle Brigade in reserve.  As soon as they went over the top at 7.30am, they met  heavy fire, but a number made it into the first German trench and some even pressed on to the second trench. But the German artillery, plastering no-man’s land, made it impossible to send reinforcements across to them and by 9am they were being enfiladed from both flanks and German bombers were working ever closer. Those that could were forced to withdraw. Others lay out in shell holes all day until they could make their way back to their own lines at nightfall. The casualties for 2nd Royal Berkshire on this day amounted to nearly four hundred, one of whom was Arthur Jones.