The Battlefield of the Somme
1st July to 18th November 1916
In today’s world it is impossible to imagine just how awful fighting in the Great War really was. It brought a new type of conflict in trench warfare which was combined with a new ferocity of firepower.
Men fought and died in a wasteland of mud, barbed wire, shell-fire and machine gun fire which all combined to form a new kind of terror. Millions were killed and wounded in a war largely of attrition in which life was cheap and terrible injury expected.
The odds were stacked against survival, the fighting resulting in almost wiping out an entire generation.
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About the Battle of the Somme
Read about the background to the Battle of the Somme, the leaders and the human story of suffering.
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Memorials To The Battle Of The Somme
Read about some of the memorials to those who lost their lives or were maimed at the Battle of the Somme
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Gommecourt, Hébuterne, Foncquevillers
Some of the bloodiest fighting of the entire Somme offensive took place around the village of Gommecourt. On the first day of the battle there were a total of almost 9,000 Allied and German casualties in a single day.
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Mailly-Maillet, Colincamps, Auchonvillers
Colincamps and "Euston", a road junction a little east of the village, were within the Allied lines before the Somme offensive of July 1916.
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Thiepval
Thiepval ridge dominated much of the surrounding area and was generally considered to be the strongest German position in the sector.
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Albert
Albert was the hub of all Allied activity during the Battle of the Somme.
Albert was heavily bombarded, but superstition had it that while the virgin remained on top of the Basilique’s tower, Albert would not be captured by the Germans.
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