The Somme Remembered

On the morning of the 1st of July 1916, after almost two years of bitter fighting, during which time several major battles had already been fought, the British army on the Western Front launched its largest offensive to date. Across a front extending some 25-miles, more than 100,000 soldiers clambered out of their trenches to advance towards the German positions with the aim of capturing strategic positions. By the end of the day’s fighting, the 11 divisions of the Fourth Army had suffered almost 57,000 casualties, of which over 19,000 were killed. The French Sixth Army suffered nearly 1600 casualties and the German Second Army had lost between 10,000 and 12,000 killed and wounded.

Corporal H. Diffey, 15th Battalion Royal Welsh Fusiliers remembered how: ‘There came an order that you must not stop to help a wounded comrade during the attack. Those that did were sitting targets for enemy machine-gunners and consequently nobody reached the objective. Nobody knew what was happening or was supposed to happen’. Most of the British casualties came in the first hour of the attack and a total of nine Victoria Crosses were won on the first day of the battle.

The Battle of the Somme has been criticised and analysed over the past 100-years. It has also been the subject of countless books, documentaries and formed the background to films. Today, in this centenary year, we can view it as a defining moment in the history of the British army. Despite such terrible losses and confusion, British soldiers continued to hold firm and keep the Germans at bay. The main fighting concluded with the capture of Pozières village on 23rd July, but attacks, which formed part of the offensive, continued until November, by which time the British army had lost 420,000 men, the French 195,000 and the Germans 650,000 killed and wounded.

Enter The Tanks

Until this time, the war had been fought mainly by infantry and artillery, with some cavalry actions. The year before, the Germans had used poison gas and flamethrowers, which caused panic but did not break the Allies. For this latest offensive, however, a new element was introduced to the battlefield when the British deployed tanks for the first time. It had been planned to use 150 tanks in the attack but only 60 were in France at the start of the offensive, and of this number, only 49 were used. Mechanical failure reduced this number to 32 and of these a further nine broke down, five became bogged down in craters, leaving the remaining 18 tanks to support in the capture of town of Flers. When the offensive was halted in November, the British army had advanced eight miles across a frontage of 20-miles.

Today, we can see impressions of these events at re-enactment displays, such as the Tank Museum at Bovington in Dorset, where they have the replica Mk. IV Male tank from Stephen Spielberg’s 2011 film Warhorse, which is used for such depictions. There are a number of very fine re-enactment groups, which portray all sides involved in the fighting, including German, complete with weapons, equipment and uniforms. One the groups to depict a wide range of subjects from the period is ‘Croix de Guerre’, with members portraying French civilians, French soldiers and even Russian. They can be contacted through their website at: www.c20warfare.org.

Two of the Victoria Crosses won on the first day of the battle were awarded to Scotsmen, Drummer Walter Ritchie of the 2nd Battalion Seaforth Highlanders and Sergeant James Turnbull of the 17th Battalion Highland Light Infantry. Units from one of the Scottish regiments the Gordon Highlanders, which fought at the Battle of the Somme, is today remembered by a reenactment group that depicts the regiment and the period in its history. They turn out to a very high standard and look every bit the part, right down to the kilt and the distinctive ‘Tam O’Shanter’ cap. I have seen the group several times at displays, including Tankfest, where they present bayonet drills straight from the instruction manual. If this is a unit which interests anyone, the group can be contacted through its website at: www.gordonhighlanders1914-18.co.uk.

The Great War Society was formed in 1984, the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of the war, and today, 32-years later, it has many members who, between them, depict a wide range of regiments, including some of those which fought at the Battle of the Somme. These units within the Society will be commemorating the anniversary of the battle with various displays and presentations. The group regularly attends the Tank Museum and often takes part in displays at Tankfest, to demonstrate the early use of tanks using the replica Mk IV Male tank from the film Warhorse. Most of us will have seen archive film footage from the period, showing the drama of the time, but to see live action re-enactment of these scenes puts it into perspective, especially for a generation used to seeing everything in colour.

Seeing the British leaving the trenches to walk towards the German machine guns with tanks in support would have been an inspirational sight to witness for real. Cinematic newsreel showed the drama at the time. With excellent research, reenactment groups can recreate that moment and provide us with a glimpse of what it must have been like. We understand such impressions are recreations, but this is the closest we will get to understanding ‘going over the top’ in real time. The Great War Society does excellent work in this area and can be contacted through its website: www.thegreatwarsociety.com.

The ‘Pals’

By the time of the Somme, in 1916, the British army had recruited many men who formed new battalions known as ‘Pals’. These were made up using men from the same factory, sports clubs and towns. Some of these are familiar, such as the Accrington Pals and the Birmingham Pals, which is commemorated by the re-enactment group (www.birminghampals.com), which also turns out to give excellent displays complete with tented encampments. Of course there are also the French groups and even the German units and there is a useful website, which lists a number of points of contact, which can be found at: www.tommy1418.com.

It is not just re-enactment, which keeps alive the interest in the events of the First World War, there are travel companies, which specialise in escorting groups to visit locations using expert historians as guides to conduct the tour. This is the best way of visiting the battlefields because the background is explained in detail and you will be escorted by experienced tour guides who bring events vividly back to life with well-researched detail. It is possible to drive to these locations, but for full impact and to avoid missing things, an organised group visit is best. A search on the internet will produce a number of tour companies and it is a question of finding one which you feel offers the best in terms of interest and value for money for your personal choice. As anyone who has visited the Thièpval Memorial, with its 73,000 names of those with no know graves will tell you, it is an unforgettable site.

Militaria

Collecting militaria from the period is also popular and items can be found for sale at the many specialist sales fairs. These are often advertised in the pages of Gun Mart and, again, a search on the internet also produces good results. Some collectors prefer medals, whilst others go for cap badges of the regiments involved in the battle of the Somme, whilst others choose to specialise in more general items such as equipment, weapons such as bayonets or examples of legally deactivated firearms, including rifles and machine guns. Documentation and letters from the period are very delicate and rare but items still turn up. For example, postcards, of which millions were sent, are very collectable and the messages written on them are often full of hope and optimism. On a personal level, I collect these because they provide an insight into the time. In fact, there is no aspect of the First World War which cannot be studied from any angle. There are even specialist study forums and groups such as the Western Front Association, which has a newsletter to which you can subscribe for free. The WFA can be contacted through its website at: www.westernfrontassociation.com.

It is not just at the larger events such as War and Peace Revival, Tankfest and Military Odyssey that re-enactment displays showing depictions of the First World War can be seen. Individual re-enactors, or ‘strollers’, often attend to show a recreated impression of a famous general or a particular regiment in which a family member served. Sometimes these ‘strollers’ turn up with horses to show the role of these animals in the Great War and on occasion several may turn up together for a remarkable display. Other depictions include nurses who served in the Voluntary Aid Detachments (VAD), the First Aid Nursing Yeomany (FANY) formed in 1907 and even pilots or crews of the first tanks. Each of these roles was vital in the support of the Battle of the Somme and one of the best displays of nursing from the period is VADACT, with instruments, equipment and uniforms of the period. Details can be found on the website at: www.vadact.co.uk.

Sadly, all the veterans from the First World War have died and the vehicles and equipment are now becoming fragile. Vehicles still turn up at shows but usually in a static supporting role, but replica vehicles of very good quality are being produced. Original vehicles from the period, such as the Model T Ford, which were used as ambulances and other miscellaneous roles, were the ‘Jeeps’ of their day. These still appear in running order and the company of Tudor Wheels Ltd (www.tudorwheels. co.uk) specialises in the refurbishment and maintenance of these venerable old machines. Artillery of the period can be seen in action at locations such as the Royal Armouries site at Fort Nelson in Hampshire, where they host gun firing days using the 18-Pounder field gun as used by the Royal artillery throughout the war.

Tommies, Poilus and Lander

Re-enacting the First World War has always proved popular and during the course of visiting events I have seen British ‘Tommies’, French ‘Poilus’ (meaning ‘hairy one’ from the French soldiers’ moustaches) and even German ‘Landser’ (soldier) and even Russian and Bulgarian representations. To support this interest, there are a number of companies specialising in reproduction equipment and uniform, such as Landser Outfitters, based in California, which produces everything for a reenactor to turn out as a German infantryman, complete with rifle. The company offers a fast delivery service and can be contacted through its website at: www.landser.com.

Another supplier of high-quality reproduction uniforms and equipment for re-enactors portraying WWI is the Denbighshire-based company of Soldier of Fortune in North Wales. This company offers British, Australian and German equipment, along with a range of French and Belgium, including helmets, tunics, webbing and other miscellaneous items, such as respirators, to recreate the fighting man of the period. It is possible to combine reproduction equipment such as that produced by Soldier of Fortune along with de-activated rifles and other items to show fully kitted infantrymen from different armies of the period. Collections of items are also presented as static displays and these always attract a great deal of interest. The full range of this equipment can be seen on the company website at: www.sofmilitary.co.uk.

Captured On Film

Earlier wars, such as the Boer War in South Africa, had been photographed and filmed with cinematic cameras, but the First World War was the first to have the results screened in cinemas for a mass audience. At the time of the Somme these images were heavily censored, but with the passing of time we are seeing more film footage emerge from the archives. One book title today, combined with such film footage, tells us more about the Somme than the entire editorial coverage of all the newspapers of the day. In that respect we really have learned a huge amount from history and we understand how events unfolded the way they did. However, the one great question, which will remain the subject of great debate arising from the Somme, is the Why? There have been many answers proposed, but it seems these lead to more questions. The new books on the subject may provide some answers. One thing remains certain, though, and that is the Somme will forever be the battle by which the First World War is measured and continue to fascinate collectors, historians and reenactors alike for many years to come.