Archives for September 2016

I go up the line with an orderly – Pt Fetherstone. Visit La Boiselle & Pozieres, dodge heavy [or, many?] shells. Nothing remains of both villages but a series of shell holes. Mounds of Earth, debris, and scattered all over is the wreckage of war. Whilst at Pozieres 4 shells come over at us in rapid succession bursting about 20 to 30 yards away. Witness a terrific bombardment, many dead around us. Our artillery has supremacy. Return to Albert at 9 PM. Motor traffic goes as far as Pozieres. Hundreds of wounded & Hun prisoners walking along the road from firing lines to Albert. Scenes of carnage. Horrible.

*Battle of Flers – Courcelette – Part of the Somme offensive, this battle was launched on Sept 15th 1916 and lasted until the 22nd of September. It was the final general offensive attempted by the British army during the Battle of the Somme. The idea was to use artillery and infantry attacks to create a hole in the German line. Allied troops would then use cavalry to create maximum gains though this hole. The breakthrough was not successful, but Allied troops were able to capture some important villages during the battle. It was at the Battle of Flers that the first tanks were ever used in warfare. All 49 British tanks manufactured for the war were sent into battle. The tanks were a mixed success, as many broke down or were unable to manage the battlefield terrain. However their psychological effect was powerful, greatly intimidating German troops.

“British Mark I male tank Somme 25 September 1916” by Ernest Brooks – This is photograph Q 2486 from the collections of the Imperial War Museums (collection no. 1900-09). Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons – http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:British_Mark_I_male_tank_Somme_25_September_1916.jpg
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