Thiepval (Somme)

Memorial to the Missing of the Somme. Designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens (1928-1932) and inaugurated on 1 August 1932, the Thiepval Memorial stands 45 metres high. The nearby village of Thiepval is linked to one of the most catastrophic episodes on the first day of the Somme battle, on 1 July 1916. The British army lost over 57,000 casualties that day with little or no gains. The Memorial itself is located on a ridge close to the site of the old German front line.

Thiepval (Somme)

The Thiepval Memorial records the names of 73,357 officers and men of the United Kingdom and South African forces who died in the Somme sector before 20 March 1918 and have no known grave, the majority being from the 1916 battle.

Thiepval (Somme)

An Anglo-French cemetery symbolizing the joint efforts of the two armies in the battle of the Somme was made in front of the Thiepval Memorial. Each nation provided 300 soldiers, many of them unknown. The cemetery is astride the old German front line facing the British line across the valley.

Thiepval (Somme)

Each year on 1 July a major ceremony is held at the Thiepval Memorial to commemorate the first day of the battle of the Somme.

Thiepval (Somme)

Ulster Memorial Tower. The Ulster Memorial Tower was the first official memorial to be erected on the Western Front and was dedicated on 19th November 1921. The Tower is a replica of Helen's Tower, a well known Ulster landmark on the Dufferin and Ava Estate at Clandeboye, County Down.

Thiepval (Somme)

Ulster Memorial Tower. The Tower stands on the old German front line of 1 July 1916, which was captured by the 36th (Ulster) Division, only to be pushed back again at the end of the day, at a terrible cost of 5,000 casualties.

Thiepval (Somme)

Connaught Cemetery. Located on the edge of Thiepval Wood and the British front line on 1 July 1916. It was from here that the Ulster batallions went over the top that day and walked to their death. Connaught Cemetery was begun in the autumn of 1916. There are now 1,268 Commonwealth servicemen buried or commemorated in the cemetery, half of them unknown.

Hébuterne (Pas-de-Calais)

Sheffield Memorial Park. Located on the northern part of the 1916 battlefield, Sheffield Memorial Park preserves its wartime appearance with trenches and shell holes. The Park includes several memorials for the 'Pals' Battalions of the 31st Division that fought and suffered terrible losses here on July 1st. The 'Pals' were volunteers recruited from the same communities in order to strengthen the cohesion of the newly formed units. They saw their first action on the Somme on 1 July 1916. The Railway Hollow Cemetery which contains 107 Commonwealth and 2 French burials was built made by V Corps after the Germans withdrew from this area in 1917.

Beaumont-Hamel (Somme)

On 1 July 1916 this lovely hollow lane near the village of Beaumont-Hamel was located in no-man's land between the British and German front lines. Incidentally, on July 1, one of the very few films of the battle of the Somme was made here, on this very spot, by British film pioneer Geoffrey Malins. It shows men of the 1st Bn Lancashire Fusiliers waiting in the sunken road, minutes before they went over the top to attack. The tragic thing is that many of these guys seen in the film would be dead, wounded or missing in the next few hours. As soon as they left the sunken road and emerged in the open field, a few meters away, they were cut down by German machine guns. The Battalion lost that day 163 killed, 312 wounded and 11 missing.

Beaumont-Hamel (Somme)

This view from Hawthorn Ridge Redoubt across no-man's land demonstrates the advantageous position of the Germans on 1 July 1916 in this particular sector of the front. The sunken road, where the Lancashire Fusiliers waited, can be seen to the right of the Scottish cross. The original British front line was situated on the slope behind it. The German fortification on Hawthorn Ridge was obliterated by an 18 tons mine detonated prior to the attack on 1 July. The massive explosion was filmed by Geoffrey Malins. However, the mine exploded too soon, giving the Germans time to reinforce the position. The British attack was a failure. The cross is a memorial to the 8th Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, who fought here in November 1916. Small Commonwealth battlefield cemeteries can be seen in the centre and back right.

Beaumont-Hamel (Somme)

Two mines were detonated under the German lines on Hawthorn Ridge in 1916, the first on July 1, then again on November 13. The huge craters are now filled with bushes and trees, but do give a sense of the devastation.

Beaumont-Hamel (Somme)

Poppies and barbed wire. When the nearby village of Beaumont-Hamel was finally captured by the 51st (Highland) Division in November 1916, it was at a cost of 2,200 casualties. A 'modest' number considering the 29th Division lost over 5,000 casualties in its failed attempt on July 1.

Beaumont-Hamel (Somme)

Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial. The defiant caribu, honouring the memory of the volunteer Newfoundland Regiment, which fought and suffered heavily here on 1 July 1916, is the most striking monument in the Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial Park. The Park also preserves the battlefield appearance from 1916, with trenches and shell holes, and includes three cemeteries and three memorials. The bronze caribu, emblem of the Newfoundlanders, was designed by British artist Basil Gotto and unveiled in 1924.

Beaumont-Hamel (Somme)

Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial. The 1st Battalion of the Newfoundland Regiment (part of the 29th Division) went into action here on 1 July 1916, 801 strong. Most of hem were gunned down, right here in front of us, in no-man's land after the initial attack had already failed. The following day it turned out 233 had been killed, 386 wounded, and 91 gone missing. They had seen action for 30 minutes. No unit suffered heavier losses on this fateful day which wasn't particularly sparse on casualties.

Beaumont-Hamel (Somme)

Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial Park. This view from the caribu monument gives some idea of the tragedy that played here on July 1, 1916. The British front line was running right to left in the middle of the picture, parallel to the modern trail. The German line ran in the centre back near the current tree line and the Highland statue. Many Newfoundlanders never got further than no-man's land (where the lone trees can be seen).

Beaumont-Hamel (Somme)

Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial Park. Y Ravine Cemetery. One of the many Commonwealth battlefield cemeteries in the area, originally made by the Vth Corps in 1917, now the final resting place for 366 men.

Beaumont-Hamel (Somme)

Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial Park. Y Ravine Cemetery.

Beaumont-Hamel (Somme)

Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial Park. Hunter's Cemetery. This small battlefield cemetery contains 46 men from the 51st (Highland) Division who were killed here during the attack of November 1916. They were buried by their comrades in a large shell hole, reflected in the unusual circular structure of this cemetery.

Beaumont-Hamel (Somme)

Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial Park. Hawthorn Ridge Cemetery No. 2 This small burial ground in the Newfoundland Memorial Park has two very closely packed rows of graves, mostly of men who died nearby on 1 July 1916.

Beaumont-Hamel (Somme)

Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial Park. The 51st (Highland) Division Memorial. Erected on the old German front line, which this division finally captured on 13 November 1916, four months after the initial attack. Sculpted by the Scottish artist George Henry Paulin, the monument was unveiled by Marshal Foch on 28th September 1924.

Hébuterne (Somme)

A British observation or machine gun post, built in the summer of 1918, as part of the defences of the 42nd Division, overlooking Gommecourt Park.

Beaumont-Hamel (Somme)

French military cemetery of Serre-Hébuterne. Located on the border of the departments Somme and Pas-de-Calais, this cemetery reminds us of the time this sector of the front was still held by the French army. Serre-Hébuterne is the final resting place for French soldiers killed in the assault on Hébuterne in June 1915. Three French infantry regiments (233rd, 243rd and 327th) are honoured on the memorial at the back.