The Big Push (1 July 1916): Difference between revisions
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{{11th Battalion (history nav)}}
After the success of the [[Record of the XIth (Service) Battalion (Lonsdale) - Appendix B|night raid]] on the German strong-hold located on the [[Leipzig Salient]] the Lonsdales carried on in much the same vein as they had before. They moved to Senlis<ref group="lower-alpha">Referring to the small commune Senlis-le-Sec, approximately five miles east of [[Authuille]], not the larger commune Senlis, 70 miles to the south.</ref> followed by Contay, Bouzincourt and then back to the Authuille Sector accommodating in {{gw|billets}} along the way, involved in a variety of Battalion training and Brigade/Divisional exercises. In the early hours of the [[24 June]] they took over from the 2nd Manchester Regiment and remained in the Authuille sector for the rest of the month.<ref name="wdjune16">[[11th Battalion War Diary, June 1916]]</ref> Before continuing with the actions of the Lonsdales in the summer campaign of 1916, a few paragraphs explaining the run up to the offensive provides a broader understanding of the events that were about to transpire.
==Events prior to the offensive==
[[File:Field Marshall Earl Haig (2).jpg|thumb|
Stated after the fact in General Sir Douglas Haig’s despatch on [[23 December]] 1916 the {{gw|Allies}} had decided early on in the year that there would be a major offensive taking place during the summer months in a bid to push forward through a state of attrition that had seen little gains for some time. The despatch mentioned the offensive’s cooperation of the combined French and British forces where
General Haig wanted to postpone the offensive as long as possible.<ref name="wylly78" /> This would allow to amass the ammunition needed for the offensive but it would also allow for an increase in the strength of the British Army on the
:{{quote-left}}There were many preliminary arrangements to be made; huge stocks of ammunition and food had to be brought up to and collected within convenient distance from the front, and to facilitate this many miles of rail had to be laid, roads made and improved.
For the offensive to have a chance at succeeding it was imperative the infrastructure and services to accommodate such a plan be put into action as quick a time as possible. The proposed plan of attack along a twenty mile frontage was a formidable one. Two divisions of General Allenby’s 3rd Army were to carry out a subsidiary attack on both sides of the salient at Gommecourt, the idea of which was intended to draw German reserves to that area,<ref name="bardgett17" /> while General Rawlinson’s 4th Army would make the main attack along the remaining frontage between Serre and Maricourt, a distance of approximately thirteen miles. The French 6th Army would continue the attack from Maricourt<ref name="wylly79">{{wylly-short|pageno=79}}</ref> further south making up the additional mileage.
An essential element of this undertaking was the British artillery bombardment that commenced on the [[24 June]] and continued for six straight days. This was
:{{quote-left}}constructed one of the strongest defensive positions on the
The main attack was planned for the [[28 June]] but inclement weather meant a postponement was necessary, the new date being set for [[1 July]]. By that time the heavy bombardment and downpours had turned the once picturesque land into a barren, battered and unrecognisable version of it’s former self. The bombardment finally ceased, the weather was clear and warm and it was a perfect summer’s day to start one of the bloodiest battles in history. This briefly puts into perspective what happened prior to the summer offensive.
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==The Lonsdales Prepare to Advance==
[[File:British plan Somme 1 July 1916.png|thumb|
{{quote-left}}From the British front line the ground sloped upwards to the strongly held village of [[Thiepval]], with a ridge in rear of it whence the German guns could sweep the whole approach.{{quote-right}} <ref>{{wylly-short|pageno=83}}</ref>
The [[32nd Division]] was assembled between [[Authuille Wood]] and Thiepval Wood at the base of the slopes of the Thiepval Spur. When the British shelling had started the guns located in the wood were standing wheel to wheel; an impressive sight to be seen. From the edge of the wood it was possible to see the [[Leipzig Redoubt]], known as the [[Granatloch]], as well as the proposed route along the valley and even as far as [[Mouquet Farm]], the eastward route and destination the Lonsdales were detailed to make. Gun emplacements had prime targets in sight all across the stretch of the salient. The Lonsdales, Dorsets and Lancashire Fusiliers were the three regiments involved in the initial attack on the [[Leipzig Salient]]; however, it was the 17th Highland Light Infantry that were successful in taking the heavily fortified redoubt from the 1st Battalion 99 RIR, commanded by Major Baron von Merscheidt-Hullessem.<ref name="stedman71">{{Stedman-short|pageno=71}}</ref>
On the [[30 June]] at 10pm, after six days of
The 17th Highland Light Infantry, who spent their previous hours in huts at Bouzincourt, had already made their own preparations by taking reserve water supplies in petrol cans to the front line. On the same morning the Lonsdales were settled in
On the edge of Authuille Wood at the base of a sloping upward hill was the open land in which the Lonsdales had to advance. They were at a distinct disadvantage and [[Percy Wilfred Machell|Lt-Col. Machell]] knew it. More than likely the men knew it too. The German infantry were extremely skilled soldiers; they had the best fighting positions along this portion of the front, having utilised every high point along the Thiepval ridge. The Lonsdales infantry equipment did little to help either. Weighing in at almost 60lbs the packs contained two hundred rounds of ammunition,
The task for the [[97th Brigade]], and indeed the Lonsdales, was to advance towards the German front line on the [[Leipzig Salient]]; to push through and capture [[Mouquet Farm]] (Mucky Farm as it was known by the British soldiers) where the German forward advance headquarters was located. The entirety of the British front line overlooking the Leipzig Salient was dominated by the [[32nd Division]], which comprised the 96th Brigade (on the left), 97th (on the right) and the 14th in support. The Lonsdales, on the right in the 97th Brigade, had to move out of the wood northwards and then swing due east almost ninety degrees, all this exactly to time after the other regiments in the 97th Brigade (which also consisted of the 16th and 17th Highland Light Infantry) had already moved out in a north-easterly direction before, too, turning east. The Lonsdales movement would bring them in rear of the Highlanders, who were already being targeted. The men would certainly be under heavy {{gw|machine gun}} fire as soon as their cover was compromised from the safer positions in Authuille Wood. This fire not only came from opposite but also from
==Actions of the 97th Brigade==
[[File:Sketch of German defences by Lonsdales.jpg|thumb|
Before moving on we should take a quick look at the actions of the other battalions along side the Lonsdales prior to their advance.
The early hours of the [[1 July]] had passed by. It was dawn, the skies were clear; it was almost
:{{quote-left}}shouted encouragement and some helped the men with their heavy loads to scale the ladders out of the trenches into No Man’s Land. The men, as instructed, formed into a line, rifles held across their chests, bayonets at the ready. They advanced slowly in a disciplined way in a solid formation.
Across the German frontage
It soon became apparent that the British bombardment on the German front line trenches in this, and many other areas, had not caused the damage it had intended. Many
==The Lonsdales Move Out==
[[File:Trenchmap of Authuille and Liepzig Salient.jpg|thumb|
In continuing the actions for this day we should now return to the Lonsdales involvement.
At 8am the [[Lonsdale Battalion war diary]] simply states:
:{{quote-left}}...it was already clear, and known to the 32nd Division, that the 8th Division on their right had made no inroads into the Nordwerk positions. Nevertheless, the 11th Borders advance was made, along the track running towards Thiepval from the direction of Aveluy through Authuille Wood and which enters the tip of the Leipzig Salient at the
The men were by now expecting to be advancing across No Man’s Land along the entirety of the Leipzig Salient, yet this was not the case. Only the Leipzig Redoubt had been taken and that was at severe cost to the Highlanders. Generals could be very unsympathetic when there were goals to achieve.
So, it was established that Divisional HQ already knew that the adjoining 8th Division to the south opposite Ovillers was unsuccessful in their attempts to take the Nordwerk. From this position, and although quite distant from their mark, the German soldiers’ line of sight was clear across the Lonsdales path. The order to advance remained unchanged. The Lonsdales route, as described above, took them straight along the track that to this day runs towards
:{{quote-left}}At 8am exactle Colonel Machell gave the order from the edge of Authuille Wood to move out. The Lonsdales wished each other good luck and shook hands, then they started their advance, some cheering and singing as if at a football match. They moved in blob formation, little groups of men being slightly to the rear of the one in front and slightly to the flank, this being considered the best formation under shell fire. As soon as the Lonsdales came into the open the deadly enfilade machine gun fire ripped through their ranks. The Germans found their mark; a hail of bullets cut furrows in the earth as the machine gunners found their range. The Lonsdales were being strewn all the ground as they made their way to the British jumping off trench.
Of the same action [[Harold Carmichael Wylly|Col. Wylly]] writes:
:{{quote-left}}On leaving their trenches in the wood, even before arriving at the front British trench, the battalion came under terrific machine-gun fire—the shell fire was practically negligible while such musketry as came in it’s direction was too high. There was no question of flinching; the companies, men dropping every moment, moved steadily on, and, on leaving the advanced British trench, pushed on straight to their front for a time and then, as had been ordered, wheeled eastward. The attacking line, supported by the Lonsdales, was having a hard fight to try and reach the German trenches, but few were able to go so far since the enemy machine guns were taking a terrible toll, mowing down the men in scores and causing very heavy losses.
It was a slaughter to which they stood little chance of survival. Those who did make it to the front line waited for their numbers to join them. But many could not come as their bodies littered the open ground where they fell. Their commanding officer, [[Percy Wilfred Machell|Lt-Col. Machell]], could see his men being cut to pieces. All those months of training at [[Blackhall Camp]] in Carlisle, the months already spent in France since November 1915, made the Lonsdales a close unit, a well-trained unit of fighting men with high regard for a man they would follow without hesitation. One can only imagine how he felt when confronted by this devastating sight before him. He rallied his men, at least what remained anyway, in the British front line trench putting himself at the head in preparation for a rousing speech before climbing the parapet. Sadly, Machell did not continue his advance as he,
:{{quote-left}}Aye, it was half-past seven when we started, sir.
Although in the heat of the moment he believed his commanding officer was not dead, but injured, he carried on regardless without thought for his own injuries. But Lt-Col.
At 8.45am the 1st Dorsets from the 14th Brigade also suffered heavy casualties having been hit by the same machine gun fire as the Lonsdales as they left the cover of the wood. The Dorsets war diary states that at
The advance devastated the Lonsdales numbers. Of the 28 officers and 800 men that took part 25 officers and 490 men were killed, wounded or dying of wounds throughout course of the day. Popularised media and historical accounts tell us that men would have scrambled for shell holes to find whatever safety they could from
The table below provides basic statistical data for Lonsdale casualties on [[1 July]] 1916. For a named list, see [[Lonsdale Battalion Casualties, 1 July 1916]].
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| 100
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==In Hindsight==
The Hindenburg Line, which was roughly 150 yards further beyond the [[Leipzig Redoubt]], had been reached by the 17th Highland Light Infantry later in the day but the force of fire from the Wundt-Werk eventually pushed them back. The Lonsdales and the four other battalions that had advanced on that area of the [[Leipzig Salient]] had been greatly reduced in number, thus, affecting the overall success and outcome of the events that took place. The bodies of dead and dying men were a similar sight at the redoubt too. The strategic foothold gained this day could not justify the terrible loss of life it took to reach and hold it. Many objectives for the first day of the Big Push were not completed or even came close to a successful outcome. The Lonsdale’s objective to take [[Mouquet Farm]] was an impossible task given that so many men were killed as soon as they left the cover of [[Authuille Wood]]. It would be another three months on the [[26 September]] before Mouquet Farm was finally captured at a cost of many more lives. Yet, the capture of the redoubt
Of the 100,000 men who had advanced on the [[1 July]], a total of 57,470 had become casualties of which 19,240 were either killed or died of wounds. 35,493 were wounded, 2,152 were missing and 585 were taken prisoner.<ref>{{Middlebrook-short|pageno=263}}</ref> This was a costly price to pay for such meagre gains. For the Lonsdales who were cut down by
All four battalions in the [[97th Brigade]] suffered heavy casualties on the initial attack and the loss of life continued throughout the campaign. The British attack on the German front was much too slow and without doubt a costly advance. The German army also suffered heavy casualties throughout the Somme offensive and is to this day a much contested subject. The Lonsdales and [[gw:Kitchener's Army|
What had been captured on the [[1 July]] by the Highland Light Infantry, and later with small groups of Lonsdales, was held throughout the 2nd but an advance was impossible because of the fire coming from other German strong points. On this day the battalion war diary simply states the “Battalion assisted in holding the line and found fatigues for carrying up grenades from Authuille
The [[Lonsdale Battalion]] was reorganised and both companies were commanded by
However, their fight would continue.
{{notes}}
{{
==Sources==
==
*
▲*[[Colin Bardgett]] (1993). ''[[The Lonsdale Battalion 1914-1918]]''. G. C. Book Publishers Ltd. ISBN 1872350607
*[[Harold Carmichael Wylly|H.C. Wylly]], C.B. (1925). ''[[The Border Regiment in the Great War]]''. Gale & Polden Ltd. ISBN 1843425408
*J. A. Hammerton (No date). ''A Popular History of the Great War''. Vol. III, The Allies at Bay: 1916. The Fleetway House, London.
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*Michael Stedman (2005). ''[[Thiepval: Battleground Somme]]''. Pen & Sword Books Ltd. ISBN 1844153509
*Douglas Sutherland (1972). ''[[Tried and Valiant The Story of the Border Regiment 1702-1959]]''. Leo Cooper. ISBN 0850520428
*[[11th Battalion War Diary, June 1916]]
*[[11th Battalion War Diary, July 1916]]
*[[Record of the XIth (Service) Battalion (Lonsdale) - Appendix E]]
*[[Record of the XIth (Service) Battalion (Lonsdale) - Appendix F]]
[[Category:Battalion history|06]]
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