Current Information:

Age-23

44, Charlton Road, Harlesden

The Battle of the Somme (July-November, 1916)

On 1st July 1916 The British Army launched a massive offensive along a section of the front line running north of the River Somme. The French attacked south of it. The first day was a disaster for the British army which suffered nearly 60,000 casualties, 19,000 of whom were killed, and made hardly any inroads into the enemy lines. But the battle had to go on, if for no other reason than to relieve pressure on the French at Verdun where they had been facing the full onslaught of the powerful German Army. So it continued all the way through to November with nearly every battalion and division then in France being drawn into it at some stage. In the end the German trenches had been pushed back a few miles along most of the line but the cost in lives had been staggering. By the end of the fighting in November, 1916, British Army casualties numbered over 400,000, killed, wounded and missing.

The days immediately following the carnage of July 1st on  the Somme, had two main priorities. They were to rescue the wounded and to consolidate what gains had been made. However, despite the slaughter of 1st July, there was no going back. This was the “Big Push” and the attacks had to continue and Haig decided that they would continue on the southern sector of the front where the few successes had occurred. The capture of Bernafay Wood, which would then facilitate an attack on Trones Wood, was an essential requirement for progress on the southern front and on 3rd July, 1916, after a 20 minute bombardment, 27 Brigade of 9th Division stormed the wood and occupied it almost unopposed. 6th Scottish Borderers and 12th Royal Scots were the attacking battalions with 9th Scottish Rifles in support and it was likely that Alfred Woodman was killed by artillery fire at some stage during this operation.