Current Information:

Born-Croydon

The Battle of the Somme (July-November, 1916)

On 1st July 1916 The British Army launched a massive offensive along a section of the front line running north of the River Somme. The French attacked south of it. The first day was a disaster for the British army which suffered nearly 60,000 casualties, 19,000 of whom were killed, and made hardly any inroads into the enemy lines. But the battle had to go on, if for no other reason than to relieve pressure on the French at Verdun where they had been facing the full onslaught of the powerful German Army. So it continued all the way through to November with nearly every battalion and division then in France being drawn into it at some stage. In the end the German trenches had been pushed back a few miles along most of the line but the cost in lives had been staggering. By the end of the fighting in November, 1916, British Army casualties numbered over 400,000, killed, wounded and missing.

30th Division had attacked on the right of the British line on 1st July, next to the French and had been involved in one of the few successes of that day when the village of Montauban was captured. 90 Brigade, including 90th Machine Gun Company had been involved and they remained in these positions, in front of Bernafay Wood, waiting for the offensive on this part of the line to continue. Albert Kirby was killed in action on 3rd July but as yet there is no further information concerning his death.