Current Information:

Age-29

New Munich Trench British Cemetery, Beaumont-Hamel, Somme

The Somme trenches were no place to be during the winter of 1916-1917.  Constant rain, snow and cold winds made them a nightmare. Men who were able to make the comparison said that the mud of the Somme was worse than that at Passchendaele, later in 1917. Simply surviving in the shell battered trenches was arduous enough but by now the plans for a major offensive at Arras were well advanced and they included a need to keep the Germans fully occupied on the Somme front. Starting early in the year, the British launched a number of attacks in the Ancre valley sector, aimed at capturing strategic points in the German line and thereby undermining their overall defences.

One of these attacks took place on 10th January, 1917, when 2nd Border of 20 Brigade, 7th Division, attacked ‘The Triangle’ and flanking communication trenches, including the notorious  Muck trench. Rather than an attack by waves, because of the state of the ground, it was carried out by three bombing parties, moving forward independently, carrying duckboards.  It took them 20 minutes to cover the 250-300 yards across no-man’s land but once there they quickly took the enemy trenches despite them being waist deep in water. By dawn the position had been consolidated and 142 prisoners taken. There were no German counter attacks but there were some casualties for 2nd Border, on of whom was Sidney Johnson.