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Born-Queen's Park

Hebuterne Military Cemetery, France

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 7.30 am 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 attack on Gommecourt

The 56th (London) Division and the 46th (North Midland) Division carried out the diversionary attack on Gommecourt. It was intended to draw German reserves away from the main battle further south and to pinch out the Gommecourt salient. It failed on both counts. The German defences at Gommecourt were among the strongest any British attack faced on 1st July. Nevertheless 56th Division’s attack on the southern edge of the salient began promisingly. The first two German lines were taken but they could get no further. 46th Division’s attack came to grief on the uncut wire and by the end of a very bloody day, all but the dead and injured were back in their own trenches.

The 4th London battalion were in support of the attack by 168 Brigade of 56th Division which was led by 12th and 14th London and at 8.45am two companies were ordered forward to reinforce 12th London who had made it to the German front line. Of the six runners sent with this message only one made it back having failed to locate the company on the left.  “A” Company however did receive the message and moved forward to the German trenches, but they suffered terribly in doing so and very few made it to the German second line. They had a very wide stretch of No Man’s Land to cross and the German fire was intense. Especially deadly was a single light  German gun (or pair of guns) enfilading from a hidden point 3000 yards south-east of the head of the Puisieux valley. Those who did not receive the message and remained in their own front line were no better off as the German artillery plastered their positions. At 2.30pm the front of the battalion HQ dugout was blown in by a German shell, killing seven men and wounding another seven. At the end of the day only 18 men from the 200 of “A” Company who had crossed no-man’s land made it back to their own lines. One of those killed from 4th London was Sydney Collinge.