Current Information:

11 Kempsford Gardens, Earls Court

Lonsdale Cemetery, Authuile, Somme

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, 32nd Division attacked from assembly trenches on the lower slopes of the Thiepval spur from Authuille Wood to Thiepval Wood. 97 Brigade was  on the right and 96 Brigade on the left. One of the objectives of this attack was a German stronghold, the Leipzig salient.    97 Brigade attacked with 17th Highland Light Infantry and  16th Highland Light Infantry with 2nd Yorkshire Light Infantry in support and 11th Border in reserve. 17th Highland Light Infantry managed to capture the Leipzig Redoubt but further advances proved impossible and they fell back to the Redoubt where they were joined by some of 2nd Yorkshire Light Infantry. Further to the left, 16th Highland Light Infantry had not fared so well and had failed to gain entrance to the enemy trenches which had not been so badly damaged by the artillery barrage. When they charged it they were blown away by machine gun fire as were those of 2nd Yorkshire Light Infantry following behind them . That night, 2nd Yorkshire Light Infantry took over the defences of the Leipzig Redoubt as the two Highland battalions were withdrawn.