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Age-24

140, Rolls Road, Old Kent Road

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.

4th Division attacked as part of VIII Corps against the fortress villages of Serre and Beaumont Hamel where the German positions were a kind of amphitheatre with the British confronted by tiers of fire. 11 Brigade led the attack with the 1st East Lancashire and 1st Rifle Brigade battalions. Even during the intense bombardment immediately preceding the attack, German machine guns had kept firing and, at 7.20 am, when most of the British barrage lifted and when the infantry began forming up in no-man’s land, they increased in ferocity.  To add to their woes the attacking battalions faced enfilade fire from Ridge Redoubt on Redan Ridge whilst German artillery hit No Man’s Land and the British front trenches.  10 minute spells or ‘crumps’ on short stretches of these trenches had very severe results creating a wilderness of shell holes.  At 7.30 am, as the advance began German machine guns manned the parapet to add to the carnage.  1st East Lancashire and the right of 1st Rifle Brigade suffered terribly.  The wire had been well cut but the deep dug-outs not destroyed.  Some men reached the German front trench and some even their support line but only two returned. One of the many casualties suffered by 1st East Lancashire was Burchatt Wingfield.