Current Information:

Age-19

Bridge House Cottage, Lancaster Street, Borough 

Knightsbridge Cemetery, Mesnil-Martinsart, 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, 29th Division attacked the stronghold of Beaumont-Hamel. The attack was carried out by 86 and 87 Brigades and despite the blowing of a huge mine at Hawthorne Ridge just before the assault, only a few men made it to the German lines. However, Divisional HQ believed that progress had been made on the right and moved up the two leading battalions, 1st Newfoundland and 1st Essex, from the 88 Brigade in reserve, to trenches along the Hamel-Auchonvillers road.  From here they were ordered to attack, without an artillery barrage but covered by a barrage by machine gun fire. Luckily for 1st Essex they were late arriving and  at 9.05am, 1st Newfoundland  advanced alone and were practically annihilated. 1st Essex did not have to attack but nevertheless had a number of casualties, mainly from German shell fire. Percy Haliday was one of those who did not survive the day.

awthorne Ridge just before the assaultHaw