Current Information:

Age-28

"Hillcrest," Arkley, Barnet

Born-Highbury

Gordon 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.

On 1st July, 7th Division attacked along part of the southern portion of the fifteen mile front. 20 Brigade attacked with the 2nd Gordon Highlanders, 9th Devonshire and 2nd Border battalions. 2nd Gordon Highlanders advanced on a 400 yard front with the 9th Devonshire and moved down the Carnoy valley on either side of a light railway. Their objective was the village of Mametz and the slopes of the valley and their advance soon took them to the enemy front line.  However it was not all plain sailing. The left company suffered many casualties when they were impeded by uncut wire and met heavy machine-gun fire from both ‘The Shrine’ in front of Cemetery Trench and from Mametz itself.  Despite this, by 7.55 am, 2nd Gordon Highlanders had moved forward to Shrine Alley and some had reached the Mametz-Halt road. Here they again met stubborn resistance especially from a cutting beyond the Mametz-Halt road on the south side of the Maricourt road, parallel with the railway.  For the rest of the morning and assisted by a company of 8th Devonshire, 2nd Gordon Highlanders cleared the dug-outs in this cutting. Among their many casualties was Geoffrey Giles.