Current Information:

Age-23

10, Clifton Gardens, Maida Vale

The opening day of the Battle of the Somme 1^st 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.

The record show 2Lt Saffery in 4^th Royal Dublin Fusiliers which was the extra reserve battalion and which never went overseas. There were two battalions of the Royal Dublin Fusiliers in action on 1^st July, the 1^st and the 2^nd and as he must have been attached to one of these, both their accounts for that day are included here.

29^th Division attacked either side of Beaumont-Hamel towards the northern end of the line. 86 Brigade were on a front from the Hawthorne Redoubt to the northern edge of Beaumont-Hamel itself. The attack was made by 2^nd Royal Fusiliers and 1^st Lancashire Fusiliers but in the face of ferocious machine gun fire very few made it across no-man’s land. 1^st Royal Dublin Fusiliers were in support and when the initial attack went in they moved up from Auchonvillers to their assembly positions.  From here on there is little information in either the Battalion or the Brigade diaries. Nor is there any mention of 1^st Royal Dublin Fusiliers getting as far as no-man’s land. If that is the case we must assume that their casualties, which amounted to over 300, were mostly caused by shellfire as they moved across open ground towards the British front line from their starting off point. By mid morning, with the attack a complete failure, what was left of 1^st Royal Dublin Fusiliers took over the front line trenches at Auchonvillers.

The attack by 4^th Division was made by 11 Brigade between the villages of Serre and Beaumont-Hamel. They met fierce resistance from German machine guns and artillery but even so, in some places the German front line was occupied, notably the Quadrilateral, a German stronghold  Meanwhile 10 Brigade and 12 Brigade moved up in the open from the reserve trenches.  In view of the lack of real progress a message was sent from Divisional HQ not to proceed but this was not received and at 9.30am, 4 ½ battalions in extended lines on a 1500 yard front, began advancing across no man’s land.  2^nd Royal Dublin Fusiliers and 2^nd Seaforth Highlanders from 10 Brigade along with  2^nd Essex, 1^st Royal Lancaster and half of 2^nd Lancashire Fusiliers from 12 Brigade. The leading companies of 2^nd Royal Dublin Fusiliers came under heavy fire from Ridge Redoubt and Beaumont Hamel and only a few reached the German lines.  The following companies, witnessing this, halted in the British front line.