July 1916
1st Saturday
Staffs Infantry lead Charge and go over top at 7.30am.
46 Division make a Charge at Foncquevillers and Staffs Bgde reach Germans where from which they are forced to return, being greatly outnumbered, the German shell fire was deadly and terrific casualties numbering 2000 for Div.
Notts & Derbys make an advance, British advance at several points.
[On this the first day of the first Battle of the Somme, British Army casualties were approximately 21000 killed and 25000 wounded.]
2nd Sunday
I am on Hospital duty during Charge, at Gaudiempre, wounded continue to come in convoys. Colley, B Sect killed on 1/7/16 and several Notts & Derbys. British continue to bombard on a long front and infantry attacks and successes at many points.
Bearers return from trenches.
46 Div come out of action.
3rd Monday
Advance party of B Sect leave Gaudiempre and march to Bailleulval and take over dressing station 1 1/2 miles in rear of line. Quiet time.
Motor orderly.
4th Tuesday
Bailleulval.
Motor orderly.
Travelling to La Herlière Headquarters and Hospital.
Aft. Berles and La Herlière.
9th Sunday
From Bailleulval to La Herlière.
No. 18 car finished first week up line.
10th Monday
Car returns to La Herlière and journeys to Couturelle and Doullens, Avesnes and Frevent.
12th Wednesday
Went to Bailleulval to baths, and on to ADMS.
Return to Hospital La Herlière and from there to Berles.
13th Thursday/14th Friday
Car goes to 2nd NMFA and 1st NMFA with dental cases. At night all Cars are sent up to Berles at 10pm o’clock in readiness for casualties from our bombing attack. Terrific bombarding by our artillery for some hours. Cars return to La Herlière at 5.30am o’clock.
15th Saturday
Doullens by Car, taking eye cases.
17th Monday
Motor Orderly.
Berles.
21st Friday
New General inspects the Unit and Cars, all is satisfactory.
22nd Saturday
Motor orderly.
Car staying at Head Quarters La Herlière
Went to Doullens and Frévent 60 miles in all.
26th Wednesday
Doullens by Car, and Bavincourt.
28th Friday
Left La Herlière for Berles to work the line, constantly taking sick and wounded from Dressing Station to Hospital La Herlière.
29th Saturday
Called up at 3am o’clock to take wounded man to Hospital La Herlière, again at 2pm and 10pm.
Heavy bombardments.
30th Sunday
Journeyed to Hospital at 2am, B Sect relieved from lines and take over Hospital at La Herlière, A Sect coming up the line.
31st Monday
Returned for duty to B Sect, who are running Hospital at Berles, at which I am put on Orderly Duty No. 1 ward, hours 7am to 7pm, all beds full.
The Somme
The Battle of the Somme started officially on 1st July 1916; an offensive in that sector of the Western Front had been in the planning for some months, originally for a combined French/British decisive blow. The start of the attack became more pressing when the Germans attacked heavily at Verdun, which the French were committed to defend as a matter on national honour. The German strategy was to inflict a massive defeat on the French Army at Verdun, which was holding this strongpoint; such a defeat was designed to inflict such a psychological blow to France that she would ask for an armistice and end the war to Germany's advantage.
The British and Commonwealth armies made their attack on 1st July in order to put pressure on German resources and force them to move troops away from the Verdun attack, and also to take advantage of a perceived weakening of the German defences in the Somme area.
The 1st Battalion the 6th South Staffordshire Regiment was ordered to attack enemy positions in the front and rear of Gommecourt Wood. An artillery barrage was to prepare the ground and cut the enemy barbed wire defences. The hour-long barrage lifted at 7.25 am, the troops went 'over the top' into a smoke screen, and in a repeat of the Hohenzollern Redoubt fiasco, were cut down in droves by heavy enemy machine-gun, rifle, and artillery fire. The few men who reached the opposing trenches found that the wire had been partially cut but not removed by the preparatory artillery fire, so were unable to make any progress. Just over half of the battalion was destroyed in that morning, mostly in the first few minutes. Later reports told that most of the casualties were the work of one enemy machine-gun that had not been suppressed in the north-west corner of Gommecourt village. The 1/6th South Staffordshire regiment now numbered about 250 men.
Over 19 000 men in the attacking force of 100 000 were killed in the first few hours alone. A total of nearly 60 000 casualties was recorded, counting those killed, wounded, missing, or taken prisoner. This was a truly shocking toll, never experienced by the British Army before or since, and it added to the growing undercurrent of unease at home about the strategy and tactics used. Haig became known in some circles as the Butcher of the Somme.
Aircraft
This is a British 2 seater aircraft similar to the ones Frank mentions
4th Friday
Many casualties from Working Party, who were out in front of our line.
6th Sunday
Hospital Duty.
Many accidental wounds admitted.
7th Monday
Hospital Day Duty.
Lovely weather prevails.
8th Tuesday
Hospital Duty.
Fred lands at Rouen.
(Fred is Franks’ younger brother)
Good progress is being made on all fronts.
Hospital Day Duty Ward no 1, only one orderly. Wet weather prevails.
9th- 19th Saturday
Hospital Day Duty.
C and part of B Sect return from the line.
Lovely weather prevails.
26th Friday
Romania declares war on Austria, Germany’s Declaration on Romania.
Hospital Day Duty.
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