A Donkey praises the Lions. Guillemont. The Somme. 102 years ago to this day.

I’ve been recording the activities of the 12th Battalion Royal Fusiliers during the battle for Guillemont on The Somme, 102 years ago exactly.

My great uncle Jack Walker fought with the 12th RF.

By September the 9th the Battalion had been pulled out of the area and were recovering behind the lines.  More than 50 of their comrades had been killed.

This is taken from the Battalion diary on that day.

Place: Billets in Bussus.

Date: 9.9.16

Very fine day. Company carried out physical drill. Drill.Musketry. Battalion parade. Audit board held. Draft arrived of 50 OR (Other ranks) 

Appreciation. The following message from Commander in Chief (Field Marshal Douglas Haig) to 4th Army begins: “The great successes gained by the 4th Army during the operations of the last three days are very satisfactory and reflects great credit on the plans and preparations made and on the troops who have carried out the attacks. The rapid advancement on LEUZE WOOD following on the  capture of GUILLEMONT and FALFEMONT FARM shewed sound judgement and determination and has been of considerable assistance to the French army on our right. I warmly congratulate you and the Commander’s staff and troops under you on the results already achieved and on the energy and determination with which they are being followed up”

I’m not sure how this message would have gone down with the troops,  bearing in mind  the terrible price of capturing Guillemont.

As just one small example,  the King’s Own Scottish Borderers were mown down in their hundreds as they attacked Falfemont farm mentioned above. The French had failed to clear a ravine to their right and the Germans poured machine gun fire into their flanks.

Between August 26 and September 7 the 5th Division lost 4,233 men. Between August 22 and September 8 the 20th Division lost 2,959 men.

They’d advanced less than 2 miles.

 

 

 

 

End of the battle. Scenes on part of The Somme 102 years ago to this day.

The Battle for Guillemont on the southern part of The Somme Battlefield came to end 102 years ago to this day.

For weeks vicious fighting had taken place in and around what remained of the village. My great uncle Jack Walker was there with the 12th Royal Fusliers.

What  follows are  entries from the battalion’s war diary on 3rd and 4th Sept. And the shocking account of a chaplain who visited the front after the battle.

Location: Orchard Trench. Chesney Walk. Water Lane (All trenches on, or very close to, the Front Line) 

Date 3.9.16

Weather: Fine. Our division represented by the 8th Buffs in conjunction  with the 1st Div on our left and 7th Div on our right, made an attack at 12 midday. The attack by 8th Buffs was on Wood Lane (another trench near Delville Wood) and a strong point at junction of this trench + Tea Trench. Our no 4 company under Capt Anderson cooperating by bombing up Wood Lane (capturing  enemy trenches by throwing hand grenades) towards the strong point. The attack by 8th Buffs, though made twice, failed owing to lack of proper military preparation. Our Lewis guns from Orchard Trench did considerable damage to the enemy, causing him at least 100 casualties. Enemy artillery very active. Casualties: 10 OR (Other Ranks)  killed.  48 Wounded. 1 OR Missing. 3 OR shell shock. 

Shell Found on the exact current day location of Orchard Trench.

Date 4.9.16

Very wet. Enemy artillery again very heavy throughout the day. Relieved by the 6th King’s Liverpool Regiment and proceeded to camp in vicinity of Fricourt. 10 slightly wounded men returned to duty. Casualties: 10 OR killed. 8 OR wounded. 

This was the end of the 12th Royal Fusiliers’ involvement in the Battle for Guillemont.

Since arriving in the area on August 10th the battalion had 51 men killed, 175 wounded and 19 men were suffering from shell shock.

On this day (Sept 4th, 1916) A padre serving with the 16th Division, Fr William Doyle, witnessed the terrible scenes in the  surrounded fields.

“The first part of our journey lay through a narrow trench, the floor of which consisted of thick deep mud, and the bodies of the dead men trodden underfoot.  It was horrible beyond description, but there was no help for it and on the half rotten corpses of our own brave men we marched in silence, everyone busy with his own thoughts. Half an hour of this brought us out on the open into the middle of the battlefield of some days previous. The wounded, at least I hope so, had all been removed , but the dead lay there stiff and stark, with open staring eyes, just as they had fallen. Good God such a sight! I had tried to prepare myself for this but all I had read or pictured gave me little idea of the reality.”

The dead in the trenches around Guillemont. My great uncle Jack Walker, who survived the battle.

Battle commences …12th Royal Fusiliers on The Somme. 102 years ago to this day

In the summer of 1916 the Southern part of The Somme zone  was concentrated on the bloody battle for the village of Guillemont and Delville Wood. My great uncle Edward George (Jack) Walker was there with the 12th battalion, Royal Fusiliers.

For weeks the fighting had involved almost constant artillery shelling with attack and counter attack. Trenches being captured before being lost again.

The village, woods and surrounding countryside were destroyed..just a mass of shell craters and ruined trench. The trees in Delville, Bernafay and Trones has long since been blown to pieces.

For the past few days the 12th RF had been kept in reserve behind the front line – with the order they should be prepared to move at four hours notice.

That notice came on September 1.  They were about the walk into a living nightmare..

Battalion Diary: 1.9.16 

Place: Carlton Trench Between High Wood and Delville Wood.

Weather: Fine. Ordered suddenly to move up to the trenches. Arrived in trenches at 3.30 am after being delayed in Catapillar Valley (sic)  for 2 hours owing to a very heavy gas shell barrage  + our guides going astray. An exceedingly unpleasant experience.  Many men very sick from the effects.  No 3 company sent up to reinforce the 3rd RBs (Rifle Brigade) who has lost rather heavily in an attack on Orchard Trench which they captured and were holding.  Casualties: 6 OR (Other Ranks) wounded. 

 

 

Into the fire. A hero you’ve never heard of and his tragic end. 12th Royal Fusiliers 102 years ago.

 

Bernafay Wood (left) and Trones Wood. 1916 Bernafay  is under fire.

Bernafay Wood today

 

In late August 1916 my great uncle Jack Walker was  fighting in the trenches with the 12th Royal Fusiliers in and near Bernafay, Trones and Delville Woods close to the village of Guillemont on the southern part of the Somme Battlefield. By now No Man’s Land was a scene of nightmarish horror. Littered with unburied corpses decaying in the sun. Water supply was a real problem. Artillery barrages went on for hours. More and more men were suffering from shell shock (PTSD)

The following is taken from the battalion war diary. It highlights one young man you’ve never heard of who displayed great bravery under fire.  Sadly he didn’t survive the war.

Place : Bernafay Wood.

Fine and warm. Enemy artillery very active. Ammunition dump in road in front of HQ set on fire, causing many explosions of Stokes Mortar ammunition and casualties to our men who were trying to put the fire out. No 3 company CSM (Company Sergeant Major) being killed. 

2nd Lt Tiffany showed great gallantry in recovering wounded men blown into the fire by the explosion.  At 4.30 PM the attack on Guillemont was renewed. The 72nd Brigade taking the place of the 73rd Brigade.  The attack in places was successful and all positions taken were held and consolidated 

The 1st Royal Fusiliers had 3 companies reinforcing the attacking party of 8th Buffs and 3rd RB (Rifle Brigade) 

The division lost about 35 officers and 1100 men. In the evening we relieved the 3rd RB and 1st RF in newly won line. 

(Battalion) Casualties. Killed: 2 OR (Other ranks); wounded : 3 OR. Wounded (shell shock) 1 OR.

 

The body of Company Sgt. Maj. Albert Edward Darling was lost during the constant shelling.  His name is inscribed on the Thiepval Memorial for the missing.

Capt Harry Waddington Tiffany  who rescued injured men from burning ammunition, was just 22 years old.  He hailed from the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa and signed up when he was just 19.  He’d already fought against the Germans  in South West Africa where he was mentioned in despatches for gallant service.

He was awarded the Military Cross.

Three months later while leading a raid on enemy trenches near Loos he was killed when British trench mortars targeted his patrol by mistake.

His body was never identified and he is commemorated on the Loos Memorial.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The slaughter continues. Royal Fusiliers exactly 102 years ago.

My great uncle Jack Walker fought on The Somme with 12th Battalion, Royal Fusiliers. I’ve been reading the battalion diary which often makes for upsetting reading.  In August 1916 they were part of the Allies’ attempts to capture the village of Guillemont. You get the sense that the battle simply involved the same useless attacks  over the same ground with the same results, day after day.

Battalion War Diary entry: 

Location: Trenches between Delville Wood and Guillemont.

A warm day day. Sent 1 officer and 50 men to join RE (Royal Engineers ?) for consolidation work during attack about to be made on Guillemont. Found carrying party of 4 officers and 220 Other Ranks for carrying bombs and SAA (Small Arms Ammunition) to front line. Moved to Bernafay Wood at 11.30am. An attack on Guillemont by the 17th and 73rd Brigades with Division ? on left and 3rd Division on left in conjunction with the French took place at 4.30pm. The attack on Machine Gun House and Railway Station + trenches in the immediate vicinity was carried out by the 8th Buffs and 3rd RB (Rifle Brigade) with 1st Royal Fusiliers in close support  and ourselves in reserve. The objectives were all taken by our Brigade and consolidated but the attack in general was held up by a strong point in front of the 73rd Brigade. The division lost about 35 officers and 1200 Other Ranks in casualties.

The following messages were received after the attack was over.

Received from GOC (General Officer Commanding?) 17th IB: “The corps commander has asked me to convey to troops his extreme appreciation of gallant conduct of troops and satisfaction of success gained. We have our teeth into Guillemont and must grip like Bulldogs to what we have.”

The following wire received from 17th IB:  “The BGC wishes to congratulate units on their brilliant success of yesterday and wishes all ranks to know how pleased he is.”

N0 4 company under Captain Anderson proceeded to front line after dark and dug CT (communication trench) from our old line to position taken.

Casualties : Wounded 9 Other Ranks. Wounded (shell shock) 4.  Other Ranks:  Killed 1 OR.

(Despite the positive messages from HQ, the fighting for Guillemont would continue into early September) By now the battlefield and No Man’s Land were littered with unburied corpses putrefying in the sun. )

A terrible day. Battalion diary entry for the 12th Royal Fusiliers. 102 years ago.

Guillemont after the battle . 1916

I’ve been recording the experiences of the 12th battalion Royal Fusiliers 102 year ago. My great uncle took part in the battle for Guillemont which was itself part of the Battle of the Somme.

In August 1916 the fighting around Guillemont and Delville Wood was at its height with both sides inflicting huge casualties  through an almost constant artillery barrage and charge and counter charge across the wasteland – now strewn with corpses.

Yesterday’s entry was very  brief and all the more shocking for that. I imagine the battalion commander would have found it hard to write much more.

Location: Trenches between Delville Wood and Guillemont.

A showery day. Artillery very active. 

Casualties. Killed: 10 OR (Other Ranks). Wounded: 18 OR.  Wounded (Shell shock) 5 OR

Shell shocked. 12th Royal Fusiliers suffer in the trenches. 102 years ago to this day .

Delville Wood.

In August 1916, the 12th Royal Fusiliers were part of British and Commonwealth forces trying to capture the village of Guillemont close to Delville Wood on the southern part of the Somme Battlefield.

The brief battalion war diary entry for August 14 is short but hints at the increasing strain of the men coming under almost constant artillery fire as they sought shelter in a landscape turned to a wasteland.  We  begin to read of soldiers  succumbing to shell shock.  Or PTSD as it’s now called.

My great uncle Jack Walker was there with the 12th Royal Fusiliers.  The Allies (the French were in this sector too) inched their way over the battlefield to capture German positions  – only to abandon them time and again under counter attack.  It was attritional  warfare of the worst kind.  Yards of ground covered and immediately surrendered at a  terrible cost.

Date 14/08/16

Location: Trenches between Delville Wood and Guillemont

A fine day. Continued digging assembly trenches. Artillery on both sides very active. 2nd Lt Martin wounded. 

Casualties: Wounded:  1 officer, 13 OR (other ranks). Wounded (shell shock) 3 OR.

Lt Harold Martin from Snaresbrook in Essex died on the 31st July the following year when the battalion was fighting further north near Ypres.  He has no known grave. His name is inscribed on the Menin Gate.

He was 24 years old.

The Nameless Dead. 12th Royal Fusiliers. 102 years ago to this day

In August 1916 the battle of Guillemont in France continued day after day with attack followed by counter attack.  The shellfire was horrendous and bodies were left out in no man’s land in the sweltering heat.  Contemporary accounts talk of the unrelenting noise of shells and machine guns.  And the sickening smell of death.

My great uncle Jack Walker was with the 12th battalion Royal Fusiliers when they arrived in Bernafay Woods about a mile to the west of Guillemont.  I was there last month and walked (unwisely) through Bernafay.  I wouldn’t do it again.  As you can see in the photos, unexploded ordinance lies everywhere. I  saw two hand grenades and a huge unexploded shell lying just yards from a main path. Some of those shells go off every year when tractors roll over them.  Some  shells still contain gas.

The 12th Battalion diary entry for this day is brief but poignant. And perhaps all the more shocking for its brevity.   Three  soldiers were killed. Only officers are named in the diary. The rest are just referred to as “other ranks”

10.8.16

Location: Bernafay Wood.

Dull and misty. A lot of gunning all day. One shell falling just outside HQ, causing casualties. Draft 2 OR (two Other Ranks joined the battalion) 

Casualties: Killed 3 OR. Wounded: 6 OR.

 

 

 

 

Casualties begin. Diary of 12th Royal Fusiliers 102 years ago to this day

My great uncle Jack Walker served with the 12th Battalion, Royal Fusiliers which recruited in London.

On this day 102 years ago the battalion was moved to Bernafay Wood near Guillemont which was at the southern end of the Somme battlefield. Bernafay was about one mile from the village where the Germans were putting up fierce resistance. British and Commonwealth troops mounted attack after attack – often following the same failed  pattern. By now Guillemont was a shattered wreck where the Germans had constructed a network of hidden tunnels and fortified positions. Startled British troops would often fight their way into the “village” only to find hidden machine gun nests opening up behind them on ground they thought they’d cleared.  Casualties on both sides were horrendous.

Taken from the War Diary of the 12th Battalion:

9.8.16

Location: Bernafay Wood.

Blazing hot day. Relieved 2nd South Staffords in Bernafay Wood. Enemy artillery very active on road outside H.Q.  2nd Lt E Walker wounded. Also Rgt SM Sabey 

Casualties: Wounded: 1 officer.  10 OR (Other ranks) 

 

I assume Rgt Sgt Major Sabey never recovered because  a Sgt Percy George Sabey from the 12th Battalion Royal Fusiliers died four months later on 20th December. He is buried in Islington Cemetery.

His infant son was also to be a casualty of war 29 years  later,  killed while serving in Italy in August 1945.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Preparing to enter Hell. 12th Royal Fusiliers 102 years ago to this day.

On August 8 , 1916, the 12th battalion Royal Fusiliers were a day away from joining the bloody battle  for the French village of Guillemont on the front line of the Somme. My great uncle Jack Walker was with them.   This is the brief  extract from the battalion’s diary on that day as they moved to a point a few miles behind the front at Carnoy.

8/8/16

Location: The Craters, Carnoy.

Again, very hot.  The battalion marched to the Craters at Carnoy.  Found working party of 200 for ammunition fatigues.  Sent four extra runners to 17th Infantry Brigade.  Casualties: 1 OR (other rank) wounded.