Current Information:

Age-23

The opening day of the Battle of the Somme 1^st 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,  64 Brigade of 21st Division  attacked the ground north of Fricourt with 9th Yorkshire Light Infantry and 10th Yorkshire Light Infantry in front and 15th Durham Light Infantry and 1st East Yorkshire in support. Soon all four battalions were intermingled but they moved rapidly forward to the German support trench which was taken and 200 German prisoners were sent back.  Both German lines  had been captured within ten minutes but at great cost. The creeping artillery barrage moved forward once again closely followed by 64 Brigade. Fighting small groups of Germans all the way they reached the Sunken Road by 8am. Here a halt was called although some parties of all four battalions pushed on to Crucifix Trench from where, at 2.30pm, they attacked towards Fricourt Farm and Shelter Wood.  It was ill prepared and failed and two hours later both 63 and 64 Brigades were ordered to consolidate . All units involved suffered heavy casualties one of whom was Gordon Wilkinson of 10th Yorkshire Light Infantry.