St Edward's Rhubarb Issue 5

ST EDWARD’S r h u b a r b

15

Remembering The Somme

by Chris Nathan , School Archivist (G, 1954-1957)

A R C H I V E S

Left to right: John Craig (C, 1909-1912), Thomas Haughton (E, 1904-1908), James Hyde (E, 1908-1914) and Harold Williamson (E, 1910-1914).

The 1st July 1916 saw the opening of what became known as the Battle of the Somme. At 7.30am, along a 20 mile front, British Empire and allied soldiers went ‘over the top’ in an attack aimed to break through the German defences north of the River Somme. There were several objectives for this major offensive, including assisting the French Army who had been pinned down for many months at Verdun, by drawing away some of the German forces facing them also to break the stalemate on the Western Front, outmanoeuvring the enemy and bringing a quick end of the War. A seven-day bombardment, including 1,500,000 shells, in the last week of June was intended to obliterate the German defences and completely demoralize their troops in forward positions. Sadly this did not work

& Fermanagh Battalion, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers - part of ‘The ‘Ulster Brigade who covered themselves with Glory’, who died at the Schwaben Redoubt; Lieutenant Thomas Haughton 17th Durham Light Infantry – part of the 31st Division (New Army), killed at Shelter Wood; Second Lieutenant Eric Hobbs, Special Reserve Battalion, Queen’s Royal West Surrey Regiment – part of the 18th Division (New Army), killed in Albert; Second Lieutenant James Hyde 1/5th Nottingham & Derbyshire Regiment (The Sherwood Foresters) - part of a Territorial Division, killed at Gonnecourt; and Second Lieutenant Harold Williamson, 6th Prince of Wales’s North Staffordshire Regiment – part of the 19th Division (New Army), killed near Albert. The average age of these soldiers was 21. Before the end of the offensive in November a further 16 OSE would be lost and one more died a few days after the offensive came to a halt, having achieved very little.

out as planned and when 13 British Divisions strode bravely across no man’s land, carrying 29kg of kit each, they were mown down by a mixture of machine gun and artillery fire. Within two hours 21,000 men had been killed and 37,000 wounded. The vast majority of these British Divisions were volunteers, part of Kitchener’s ‘New Armies’, many serving in ‘Pals’ Battalions of men drawn from the same communities and even streets. One such regiment from Lancashire ‘The Accrington Pals’ lost 585 out of 720 who had gone over the top. By this time in the war St Edward’s School had over 500 OSE, teachers and non-teaching staff in uniform with an estimated 200 involved in the Somme offensive. On the tragic first day five OSE were lost - Second Lieutenant John Craig with the 11th Donegal

To read more about the School and the Great War you might like to pre-order Chris Nathan’s book Members of a Very Noble Friendship (see page 12 for details).