1 July 1916 - The Somme / The Great War

1 July, 1916 - The Somme

More than three million men fought in the first battle of the Somme, which lasted 141 days, from July to November, 1916

Over a million soldiers were either killed or wounded, making it one of the deadliest battles in all of human history. John Eccles was wounded twice during these months and had shrapnel in his body for the rest of his life.

Few soldiers returning from the horrors of the battles in World War 1 wanted to talk about their experiences, and John was no different. They had seen so many things that they just wished to forget. Constant bombardments, the ever-present threat of sniper and gas attacks, and the trauma of hand-to-hand fighting in deep, muddy trenches led to an untold number of 'shell-shock' victims and tens of thousands of combatants undoubtedly suffering from PTSD, which had yet to be identified as a consequence of such intense warfare.

John Eccles, nevertheless, had a couple of stories that he felt comfortable discussing. One was about something that happened to one of his colleagues on the very first day of the Battle of the Somme, 1 July, 1916.

Even though the allies had fired 1.7 million shells at the German defences, the bombardment had failed to break the thick lines of barbed wire in front of the German trenches.

Following orders, most British forces climbed from their trenches after artillery fire had ceased, walked across No Man's Land, and tried to get through the barbed wire. They were mowed down by strategically placed machine guns which had been protected by strongly fortified bunkers along the German lines.

Apart from a couple of isolated places, British troops were being repelled all along the front line.

The soldiers of the Ulster Division used a different tactic. One book on the war described the relatively successful actions of the 36th like this:

The men of 15th battalion, Royal Irish Rifles launched their assault from Thiepval Wood and made their way across No Man's Land just north of Thiepval village towards the Schwaben Redoubt on the German lines. Their objective was St Pierre Divion.

During this attack, John was accompanied by one of his comrades, a Scotsman called Jock.

Unlike most commanders, the CO of the Ulster Division did not order his men to wait until the British artillery had stopped firing before leaving their trenches.

He did not want to give the Germans the 10 minutes they would need to recover from the bombardment, so the men of the 36th raced across No Man's Land as fast as they could towards their objectives, catching the Germans somewhat off guard.

However, it did not take long for the enemy to climb the 40 feet from the bottom of their trenches to return to their firing positions, and within minutes the Ulstermen were coming under a hail of machine-gun bullets and sniper fire. But they had already made good progress and continued to move forward.

Thiepval Wood looking towards the Schwaben Redoubt

As John was running towards the German lines, he noticed that Jock was crouching in front of him, with one knee on the ground. Jock was holding his rifle firmly with both hands and was looking straight ahead. John shouted at him to get up and to keep moving.

As he came closer to Jock, he slapped him on the shoulder, encouraging him to move, but Jock fell over onto his side and remained still on the ground.

He was dead.

The 36th Division put up a great fight on that first day of the battle, and had achieved their goals, but it was all to no avail.

Even though they had captured their objectives, the divisions on their flanks had not been able to break through the German lines, so the 36th had become isolated and was taking fire from three sides.

As darkness fell, the courageous Ulstermen were being surrounded by Germans and were forced to leave their dead comrades and begin the struggle back to their starting positions in the woods. A few remained until the next morning in the nearby captured German trenches.

The retreat was a massive disappointment for the Division after having displayed such tenacity and having sacrificed so much to accomplish the task given to them.

When relieved by the 49th Division the following day, the 36th Division listed over 5,000 casualties. The dead numbered 2,069, including Jock.

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"I am not an Ulsterman but yesterday, the 1st. July, as I followed their amazing attack, I felt that I would rather be an Ulsterman than anything else in the world. My pen cannot describe adequately the hundreds of heroic acts that I witnessed... The Ulster Volunteer Force, from which the division was made, has won a name which equals any in history. Their devotion deserves the gratitude of the British Empire."

— Captain Wilfred Spender

Summary of entries in 15th, Royal Irish Rifles War Diary from midnight:

Thiepval, 1 July, 1916

12.15 AM - arrived assembly trenches, 583 all ranks.

7.30 AM - Zero time

7.45 AM - A Company reach German A line

7.50 AM - B Company reach German A line

7.55 AM - German B line captured

8.15 AM - attacking German C line

8.15 AM - C & D Companies capture German A line left (north)

Casualties very heavy. Called for reinforcements, but none available. Captured large number of prisoners, maps, etc.

10.00 AM - German C line captured, penetrated D line

Incoming German machine gun fire from both flanks (as 29th and 32nd Division attacks have failed) causing heavy casualties, and bit by bit drove us back.

8.30 PM - Only 8 NCOs left, almost half the men killed, wounded or missing.

Short of ammunition and being attacked from all sides. Men moved back to German A line, then to start position in Thiepval Wood.

Total casualties (killed, wounded or missing): 316, including 15 officers; a 54% casualty rate.

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(The Royal Irish website gives an account of the actions of the 36th Division on 1 July 1916.)

Wikipedia: Capture of Schwaben Redoubt