Current Information:

Age-44

29, Farrant Street, Queen's Park

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,1916, 7th Division attacked with 91 Brigade on the right and 20 Brigade on the left the latter having the 9th Devonshire and 2nd Border battalions in front. This was one of the few successful attacks on this day as they advanced on an 1800 yard front between the Carnoy-Mametz track and the Quarry south of Hidden Wood. 2nd Border wheeled left over the Quarry spur and cleared the 500 yards of cratered area that ran along the German front and which was a warren of German positions despite the four mines blown there. By 9.30am they had occupied Hidden Lane but the heavy machine gun fire from Mametz and Hidden Wood had caused considerable loss. There followed an attack across the open which cleared Hidden Wood and allowed parties of 2nd Border to move on to Apple Alley. Despite their success, the battalion sustained many casualties on 1st July, one of whom was Charles Beacon.