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Age-36

SDGW-04/07/16  

25, Salisbury Road, Richmond

Puchevillers British Cemetery, France

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. 

On 1st July, 8th Yorkshire Light Infantry of 70 Brigade, 8th Division took part in the attack against Ovillers. Advancing along the slopes of Nab Valley many of the front waves got across no-man’s land and pushed on to the enemy second line, some even making it as far as the third line. But German resistance stiffened and by targeting no-man’s land with their artillery they were able to prevent reinforcements and supplies from coming up and in the end, those few who remained from 8th Yorkshire Light Infantry fell back to their original line. Their casualty list amounted to over 530 officers and men. Charles Paice died of wounds on 3rd July.