The Somme : 1/7/16

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summerisle

summerisle

The rain, it raineth every day
On the first of July 1916 750,000 men took part on the first day of the Somme offensive. On the first day 114 soldiers from Liverpool died.

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/battle-somme-fallen-liverpool-heroes-11536078

The Liverpool 'Pals' regiment was formed on the 2/8/1914 - one of the first. They performed with distinction throughout the War, and regardless of feelings today towards the conduct of the battle of the Somme and the War, I think we should remember them.

 
My grandad fought on The Somme.He was a steel erector from Liverpool 7, don't know how he ended up in The Gordon Highlanders !.He had a shrapnel injury and they didn't think he'd survive, I remember the scar on his forehead.My mum had the telegram they sent back and his service medal but I don't know what happened to them when she died.My thoughts will be with all the fallen on Friday.
A few years ago I visited Ypres and was there for the last post at the Menin gate, very moving experience.
 
From what information I have cobbled together about my grandads maternal uncles who between all 5 saw the war from day 1 to the very end none of them fought on July 1st. They were all serving in infantry regiments at the time too, some luck that is.
 
summerisle said:
On the first of July 1916 750,000 men took part on the first day of the Somme offensive. On the first day 114 soldiers from Liverpool died.

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/battle-somme-fallen-liverpool-heroes-11536078

The Liverpool 'Pals' regiment was formed on the 2/8/1914 - one of the first. They performed with distinction throughout the War, and regardless of feelings today towards the conduct of the battle of the Somme and the War, I think we should remember them.

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Great post mate,
 
...read a book on this last summer, amazing how many young boys perished after giving false ages to recruitment officers. Very brave lads, I can only imagine what it must have been like for their parents and families.
 
A week of shelling the German front line beforehand was designed to shatter the barbed wire, destroy their defences and suck the will to fight out of their troops. But the shelling consisted of largely the wrong type of shells, not nearly enough HE and far too many shrapnel shells that caused relatively little damage to defences and men. The Germans back in late 1914 early 1915 had deliberately fallen back from their initial advances, got the best of the higher ground that was better drained and drier and dug their defences much deeper into the ground, with reinforced chambers and concrete pillboxes. As the shelling started the Germans went underground and stayed there for a week, out of relative harm. On the morning of 1st July, the British shelling stopped, the whistles were blown, the Germans knew the troops were coming, came out of the chambers, manned the machine guns and the slaughter started.

There were advances made on 1st July in some sectors and objectives achieved, particularly the 36th Ulster Division but the communication from front to back and vice versa was so bad that no reinforcements were pushed into the areas that had the success. Fresh troops remained unused that day. The end result was that the Germans re-grouped and attacked the ground they had lost and then regained it.

Such an appalling tragedy. Nothing gained. The same area witnessed a second, third and fourth Battle of the Somme in the months and years after. To visit the area now, as I have done, with the birdsong, a patchwork of colourful fields of crops, rolling hills, little lanes and small villages it is almost impossible to imagine the carnage that took place there.
 
In a war of wasted lives the ultimate waste.
Though by the end the English had amended their tactics, but only somewhat
Over the winter the Germans decided they didn't fancy Rnd. 2 in the spring and moved back, preferring to concentrate on the U Boats, which eventually led to the Americans coming in and their ultimate loss of the war

The French last attended the Commemoration of the Somme in 1932, didn't turn up for the 50th and won't turn up for the 100th
 
The famous saying Lions led by donkeys my Grandad survived the First War signed up walking from Vauxhall rd area to Warrington by foot under age to join to join the The Royal Lancashire Fuselieirs he started after training in the deserts v the Turks - thank goodness he avoided the Somme - he died at the age of 64 in a old peoples home with his chest being affected by the gas in the trenches - he only told my older brother a few tales of his action as I was just a small kid who went to see him every Sunday!
I always collect his regiment badges, and my older brother has his medals to pass down to the eldest son in the family - I have researched his war record which to my dismay believe it or not if you came back alive the records are very scant I have his war record card which is basic under circumstances when a lot of detail was destroyed before our digital age took over!
Many written documents were simply destroyed!
 
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