Current Information:

Age-28

171A, Cromwell Road, South Kensington

Euston Road Cemetery, Colincamps

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 fifteen 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 many had left the overcrowded jump-off trenches, they had been killed or maimed by German artillery. They knew the British 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.

31^st Division had only been in France since March, 1916 and this was their first time in action when they attacked the strongly fortified village of Serre in the northern part of the front. 93 Brigade, made up of the 15^th , 16^th and 18^th West Yorkshires and 18^th Durham Light Infantry battalions and 94 Brigade led the attack by 31^st Division. The wire had been destroyed on this sector but not the deep dug-outs.  At 7.20am as the first waves left their trenches to lie out in no-man’s-land they were met by machine gun and artillery fire which fell on their front line trench and fifty yards into No Man’s Land. As the leading waves rose at 7.30am this fire intensified and German soldiers were seen standing on the parapet and moving out to shell holes to fire more effectively.

15^th West Yorkshires led 93 Brigade’s attack and were practically annihilated by frontal and enfilade fire.  All officers became casualties within the first few minutes.  16^th West Yorkshires and one company of 18^th Durham Light Infantry  advanced from the support trench and suffered many casualties before they had even reached the British front line.  Only a few of 93 Brigade made it across No Man’s Land but some of 18^th Durham Light Infantry actually reached Pendant Copse.  18^th West Yorkshires in support, could make no headway and the rest of 18^th Durham Light Infantry were kept back. No ground had been gained and the losses which had been enormous included Robert Pringle who was killed in action.