Current Information:

1, Gwycliffe Cottages, Oakleigh Road, Whetstone

Devonshire 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. 9th Devon moved down the Carnoy valley on either side of a light railway their objective being the village of Mametz and the slopes of the valley.  They had assembled on the steep side of Carnoy valley, 250 yards behind their badly damaged front trench but as soon as they advanced they were hit by machine gun fire from trenches south of Mametz and at long range from Fricourt Wood.  Half of their casualties, of which there were many, occurred before they reached Mansell Copse half way across the 400 yards wide no-man’s-land.  But they pressed on and reached the German front line some even reaching the support trench another 250 yards on.  All officers had fallen but the men of 9th Devon fought on, keeping the Germans engaged and thereby assisting those on the flanks.  They gradually cleared the trenches and sent back prisoners.  At 7.40am the fourth company of 9th Devon went forward but that too lost all its officers in no-man’s- land. Among the many killed in action from 9th Devon on 1st July, 1916, was Harold Levy.