The Struggle for Thiepval Ridge

Today, Thiepval is known and revered by many as the location of a memorial dedicated to the soldiers of the British Armies who fought and were never to be seen again while fighting in the Battle of The Somme, and who have no known grave. The memorial, officially called the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of The Somme, is surrounded by an Allied cemetery and is located near the village of Thiepval in France.

It is the largest Commonwealth Memorial to the Missing in the world and recognizes the names of over 72,000 servicemen, fully 90% were lost during the initial offensive from 1 July to 18 November 1916, and the inscription reads: "Here are recorded names of officers and men of the British Armies who fell on the Somme battlefields July 1915 February 1918 but to whom the fortune of war denied the known and honoured burial given to their comrades in death."

In the wake of the successes of the Canadian and New Zealand troops a few weeks prior at Flers, one hundred years ago, on September 26 the British attacked the formidable German defenses at Thiepval Ridge - it was a battle that lasted four days, and ended with Allied forces controlling most of Thiepval. Supporting the efforts of the Fourth Army, the attack was launched by the Reserve Army under the command of Lt-General Gough, and the Canadian Corps (under the command of Lt-General Julian Byng) provided a critical flank on their right, tasked to capture the German trenches north-west of Courcelette, and their array of machine gun nests.

Augmenting their use of the recently introduced "creeping barrage" British artillery units were directed to concentrate the shells overhead into enemy positions, a suppressing fire, while infantry crossed No Man's Land in the afternoon, intending to reach and take the German trenches under the cover of darkness, another innovative tactic implemented as the war progressed. The British fired over 60,000 field artillery and 45,000 heavy artillery rounds two days prior to beginning the attack on the 26th, in addition to a gas-filled shells to effectively remove the German mortar teams from Thiepval - an objective achieved.

The day before, in a preliminary attack, a Canadian company that had finally successfully captured hotly-contested Mouquet Farm were then driven back by accurately-fired German shells, not to mention the fact the Germans also still held the cellars, dug-outs and tunnels beneath them. During the subsequent Battle of Thiepval Ridge, however, the Lancashire Fusiliers bombed the exits of the underground positions, enabling them to actually reach their second objective: Zollern Trench.

The Germans had held Thiepval Ridge since 1914 and their trench system was vast and complicated. The Canadians, for example, moved from Sudbury Trench to Kenora Trench and Regina/Stuff Trench, but were defending counter-attacks in Hessian Trench by 10:30 at night. To their left, the British - constantly being hit by counter-barrages during their advance - reached Joseph Trench at 12:45 and then Schwaben Trench between Mouquet Farm and Thiepval where they dug in. After numerous counter-attacks by both sides, the Germans withdrew and by mid-morning Thiepval and its ridge were under the command of Commonwealth forces and a victory was declared.

The brutal and bloody fighting continued in the maze of trenches, with grenades being lobbed and hand-to-hand combat facing many of the soldiers over the next few days. German accounts of the battle conclude that the initial successes at Courcelette and Thiepval led to the loss, as well as their lack of reserves which ultimately forced their retreat. With the loss of most of their garrison at Thiepval, the Allies advanced between 1,000–2,000 yards along the 6,000-yard front and continued onward toward the Stuff and Schwaben redoubts, where the Germans were eventually defeated in the Battle of the Ancre Heights, which began on 1 October.

The Canadian 11th Division losses from 26–30 September were 3,615, with nearly 70% of the men wounded, and total casualties in the 18th Division were over 4,000 men, but for the Germans September was considered to be their most costly month of the Battle of the Somme, losing approximately 135,000 soldiers, including 10,000 who were captured from 14–30 September, along with 27 guns, 200 machine-guns and 40 trench mortars.

The Struggle to be Brave in WW1

On 15 September 1916, one hundred years ago, the Allies' Fourth Army went 'over the top' with the goal of capturing the French towns of Flers and Courcelette - and with one notable addition aiding their collective task: tanks. A total of 49 tanks were expected to enter the fray after having been moved to the front over the previous 4 days to support the advance of British troops, and the newly formed Canadian and New Zealand corps.

Despite their crews' best efforts, for numerous reasons (mainly mechanical failure), only 15 tanks actually made it to the front to join the soldiers in their morning attack, which was preceded by the usual artillery bombardment. Nonetheless, led by the tanks, the Allies crossed No Man's Land and indeed captured the two towns, as well as Martinpuich and the much sought-after High Wood.

The Somme Offensive had not gone well for General Haig since its launch on 01 July. But, prior to the Battle of Flers-Courcelette, which was the first major offensive since the launch of the Somme, the Australians had captured the town of Pozieres, a truly bitter and bloody two week fight, ending successfully with a strategic and extremely beneficial view atop the plateau of the German bastion stationed at Thiepval.

In brief, the three divisions of the XV corps (14th, 41st and New Zealand Divisions) reached most of their objectives, with the 41st given the job of capturing Flers, which was indeed captured early in the day. The 15th Division captured Martinpuich, and both the 50th and 15th Divisions cleared High Wood, while the Canadian Corps captured Courcelette. However, forming the right flank, the 56th soon bogged down and the 6th Division - tasked to overcome a strong German position known as the Quadrilateral - met heavy resistance and made little progress on the first day.

There are certainly many hundreds, if not thousands, of heroic stories to be told, as the week-long Battle of Flers-Courcelette lasted until 22 Sept, with the Allies suffering many casualties along the 8-mile front and the Germans having already stopped their advance on 17 Sept.

Here are three stories of valour and courage under fire.

Sergeant Donald Brown was the first member of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force to be awarded the Victoria Cross for gallantry. His citation in full reads: "For most conspicuous bravery and determination in attack (south-east of High Wood, France, on September 15, 1916), when the company to which he belonged had suffered very heavy casualties in officers and men from machine gun fire.

At great personal risk this N.C.O.advanced with a comrade and succeeded in reaching a point within 30 yds. of the enemy guns. Four of the gun crew were killed and the gun captured. The advance of the company was continued until it was again held up by machine gun fire. Again Serjt. Brown and his comrade, with great gallantry, rushed the gun and killed the crew.

After this second position had been won, the company came under very heavy shell fire, and the utter contempt for danger and coolness under fire of this N.C.O. did much to keep up the spirit of his men. On a subsequent occasion in attack, Serjt. Brown showed most conspicuous gallantry. He attacked, single handed, a machine gun which was holding up the attack, killed the gun crew, and captured the gun.

Later, whilst sniping the retreating enemy, this very gallant soldier was killed." Brown died later on 01 Oct during the Battle of Le Transloy. No one seems to know, however, what happened to his comrade during the aforementioned action of 15 September.

Serving with the Canadian Corps, Private John Chipman Kerr earned his Victoria Cross a few miles away at Courcelette the next day after leading a charge. He survived #WW1 and went on to serve as an airman in #WW2. (Kerr Peak in the Rockies is named after him.) Although wounded during his action on 16 Sept, Kerr continued forward and compelled 62 of the enemy to surrender.

His citation reads: “For most conspicuous bravery. During a bombing attack he was acting as bayonet man, and, knowing that bombs were running short, he ran along the parados under heavy fire until he was in close contact with the enemy, when he opened fire on them at point-blank range, and inflicted heavy loss.

The enemy, thinking they were surrounded, surrendered. Sixty-two prisoners were taken and 250 yards of enemy trench captured.

Before carrying out this very plucky act one of Private Kerr’s fingers had been blown off by a bomb.

Later, with two other men, he escorted back the prisoners under fire, and then returned to report himself for duty before having his wound dressed.”

Another Canadian, Lionel (Leo) Beaumaurice Clarke, who a year before his death was given permission to be transferred to the 2nd (Eastern Ontario Regiment) Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force, to be with his brother, Charles, received his Victoria Cross a few weeks earlier, prior to the main attack, having to clear and capture a 50-yard-long salient between the Canadian position at Mouquet Farm and Courcelette to the north.

His citation states: "For most conspicuous bravery. He was detailed with his section of bombers to clear the continuation of a newly-captured trench and cover the construction of a "block." After most of his party had become casualties, he was building a block when about twenty of the enemy with two officers counter-attacked. He boldly advanced against them, emptied his revolver into them and afterwards two enemy rifles which he picked up in the trench. One of the officers then attacked him with the bayonet, wounding him in the leg, but he shot him dead. The enemy then ran away, pursued by Acting Corporal Clarke, who shot four more and captured a fifth.

While attacking again the next month, Clarke was in a trench when a shell exploded and it caved in, burying him. His brother dug him out, but Clarke was paralyzed; the weight of the earth had crushed his back and injured his spine. Clarke was taken to No. 1 General Hospital, and died on 19 October.

Not all Victoria Cross recipients serving on the Western Front were soldiers, some were pipers, stretcher bearers and chaplains, as well as airmen and sailors aiding their efforts throughout the war. Of the 60 million men mobilised from European nations on both sides, 8 million died, 7 million more suffered permanent disabilities and another 15 million were seriously injured. Lest we forget.

The Struggle on The Western Front

September 1916 was a critical month for the French and British armies, including their commonwealth and colonial forces, along the Western Front during #WW1. In particular, both the Canadian Corps and New Zealand Division would finally see action at the Somme in the upcoming weeks when the Battle of Flers-Courcelette would be launched - as would tanks for the first time in history - and in the skies above, the Germans seriously challenged the Allies' recently gained air supremacy with the introduction of their Albatross D.I fighter squadron.

However, waging a war on numerous fronts, September proved to be very critical for German commanders as well. In defending their lines along the Somme they lost about 130,000 casualties - the most costly month of the battle - and combined with the losses at Verdun and on the Eastern Front, Germany was brought closer to military collapse than at any time before the autumn of 1918.

One hundred years ago, the Allies were preparing the third stage of their Somme Offensive, still seeking a decisive victory. The plan was to sweep right and pivot left. Sadly, the plan failed, but there were tactical successes, such as capturing High Wood, Bazentin Ridge (beyond the towns of Flers and Courcelette), a position won which enabled the British Fourth Army to see the rear-slope defences, and the Quadrilateral.

In the weeks leading up to the battle, in order to achieve success, British General Douglas Haig hoped a sizeable number of tanks would be ready, as would their trained crews, and he hoped the Germans would continue to pull troops from the west to the east, due to the pressure of the Brusilov Offensive being conducted with great effect by Russia's armies. Under the terms of the Chantilly Agreement of December 1915, it was launched on 4 June 1916 and took place until late September in western Ukraine.

General Brusilov's operation achieved its original goal of forcing Germany to halt its attack on Verdun and transfer considerable forces to the Eastern Front, while also actually breaking the Austro-Hungarian army. The numbers are staggering: within several months Austria-Hungary lost over 567,000 casualties and 408,000 soldiers as prisoners. The Russians lost 440,000 men, and an additional 60,000 were captured, and the German Empire suffered 350,000 dead and wounded.

Aware of the consequences upon the Western Front of the large-scale deployment of troops, Germany was relying on Hindenburg's new tactical instructions outlined in "The Defensive Battle", to wear out the enemy while conserving German infantry by efficiently replacing manpower by machine-generated firepower. This practice certainly nullified Anglo-French advances and marked the beginning of modern warfare tactics and enabled the German's to build a new defensive system miles behind the Noyon Salient (which became known as the Hindenburg Line) to make possible a strategic withdrawal, if necessary.

With the launch of the Somme Offensive in July, the Germans were under constant observation from both aircraft and balloons, and the Allies fired tons of artillery shells accurately onto their positions, annihilating German artillery, and enabling aircraft to attack infantry from very low altitudes daily - causing severe anxiety among German troops, who reportedly came to believe that Anglo-French aircraft were armoured.

The French Tenth Army attacked south of the Somme on 4 September, adding to the pressure on the German defence, which had been depleted by the fighting north of the Somme since July. Meanwhile, the British Fourth Army had launched an attack on 3 September, which lasted three days with the eventual capture of heavily-fortified Guillemont, and an important junction between French and British forces.

Attempts to co-ordinate joint attacks failed due to the quick recovery of the German 2nd Army, and from the disorganisation caused by the early defeats (and loss of officers), not to mention disagreements over tactics by Haig and Joffre, and simply the organisational constraints caused by congestion behind the front, as well as obliterated roads and tracks becoming swamps when it rained, adding to the logistical problem of an unreliable supply of machinery, guns and ammunition, which reduced the effectiveness of the advancing army.

On 18 August Guillemont had been reached by the 2nd Division, but not until 3 September was the village captured and cleared by the 20th (Light) and part of the 16th (Irish) Divisions. As a sidenote to the back and forth nature of the war - and the cost to capture small pieces of land - Guillemont was again lost to the Germans in March 1918, but finally retaken on 29 August by the 18th and 38th (Welsh) Divisions.

By early September, after 60 days of fighting, 32 British divisions had been engaged and had lost 126,000 men; yet were now bogged down, having advanced at most 1,500 yards across a 12,000-yard front. The deeper advance at Guillemont, and the successful capture of the town, had occurred at the end of the period. But a century ago it was this pivotal moment, when Guillemont fell, causing a severe blow to German morale; that Hindenburg and Ludendorff ended the policy of defending ground at all costs on 5 September, and implemented the Defensive Battle.

Among those who would give his life, making the supreme sacrifice, was Lieutenant Raymond Asquith, 3rd Bn Grenadier Guards, who at the outset of the Battle of Flers-Courcelette was killed on 15 September 1916, aged 37. He was the son of the Rt Hon (and former MP) Herbert Asquith, PC, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom 1908-1916, now 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith, KG.

Lt Asquith rests today at the Guillemont Road Cemetary and it is solemnly marked on his gravestone :

Small time, but in that small
Most greatly lived
This star of England

He was a barrister and scholar of high intellect and had been President of the Union at Oxford, won the Craven, Derby and Ireland Scholarships, a First in Greats and a Fellowship at All Souls.

Lest we forget.