Van Helsing
My glass is half empty.
- Joined
- Apr 23, 2004
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88yrs ago tomorrow brave men from the island of Ireland took part in one of the bloodest battles of the 1st world war. The Battle of the Somme.
At roughly 7:30 a.m. on Saturday July 1st 1916 Britain sent out its young soldiers for one last attack of the Western frontier to end the war. For many of the soldiers they felt it their duty to give 100% effort in the hopes of doing their country proud and ending the War. Unfortunately for many of these brave soldiers it would be their last breath of air, and all this well before the unexpected ending of the War in two years time. By the close of that fateful July day 60,000 British soldiers, all of which loved dearly by someone back home, lay dead or wounded near a river whose name would live on forever; the River of Somme.
It was one of the most significant defeats for the British Army.
However, it is often forgotten that three Divisions captured their objectives, and that several others while not doing so did perform exceptional feats. The Ulster Division was one of them: it captured and held for a considerable time the Schwaben Redoubt, despite virtually no progress being made by either Division on its flanks. Bear in mind that the 36th (Ulster) had no had no regular battalions attached to it to act as " stiffeners" yet it had advanced further than any other Division.
On that morning The 36th (Ulster) division had been allotted the task of taking the German trenches beside the River Ancre, and north of the village Thiepval. This included the taking of the heavily fortified "Schwaben Redoubt". As the battle commenced things went well at first, then misfortune struck the Ulstermen. The 32nd division failed to take the fortress village of Thiepval, so the German guns were turned on the men from Ulster. They fell in dozens, those not killed crawled into shell holes for cover. Despite heavy casualties the Inniskillings (109 Brigade) surged forward, and somehow took the supposedly impregnable "Schwaben Redoubt" silencing the German machine-guns, by 8.30 a.m. having covered one mile of devasted land, they carried out their objective.
On their left, 108 Brigade was exposed to a hail of machine-gun fire from the "Beaucourt Redoubt" across the river Ancre. The 13th Irish Rifles lost nearly all of it's officers, before reaching the enemies trenches. "A & D" companies from the 11th Irish Rifles, were almost annihilated. The 15th Irish Rifles, pressed on over the top of the dead and dying to take their objective, the north-east comer of the "Schwaben Redoubt". The 12th Irish Rifles and the Irish Fusiliers, suffered horrendous casualties, twice they reformed, but were both times cut down.
Meanwhile 107 Brigade "8th, 9th and 10th Irish Rifles" advanced through the ranks of 109 Brigade "which included the 14th Irish Rifles (Y.C.V.'s) and occupied the German trenches before the Grandcourt Line, two thirds of them being cut down as they charged across the open ground. The surviving troops occupying their final objective, after hand to hand fighting. Later that day the Germans counter-attacked and pushed the Ulstermen back to the German second line. They held this line all the next day and were relieved in the early hours of the 3rd of July by the 49th Division.
Of the nine Victoria Crosses which were awarded for outstanding bravery on that day, four were won by men of the Ulster Division:
The (Ulster) Division had lost 5,500 officers and men on the first day of fighting of which 3,000 were killed. Amongst the many rewards for bravery, were four Victoria Crosses.
The recipients were:- Captain E. N. F. Bell, 9th BN. Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers (Tyrone Volunteers).
Lt. G. St. G. S. Cather, 9th BN. Royal Irish Fusiliers (Armagh, Monaghan & Cavan Volunteers).
Pte. R. Quigg, 12th BN. Royal Irish Rifles (Central Antrim Volunteers).
Pte. W. F. McFadzean, 14th BN. Royal Irish Rifles (Young Citizen Volunteers).
They shall not grow old As we that are left grow old
Age shall not weary them Nor the years condemn
At the going down of the sun And in the morning
We will remember them"
http://freespace.virgin.net/sh.k/xvidiv.html
http://www.belfastsomme.com/
Still to this day the men from both North and South of Ireland make up the largest Infantry Regiment in the British Army - The Royal Irish Regiment.
At roughly 7:30 a.m. on Saturday July 1st 1916 Britain sent out its young soldiers for one last attack of the Western frontier to end the war. For many of the soldiers they felt it their duty to give 100% effort in the hopes of doing their country proud and ending the War. Unfortunately for many of these brave soldiers it would be their last breath of air, and all this well before the unexpected ending of the War in two years time. By the close of that fateful July day 60,000 British soldiers, all of which loved dearly by someone back home, lay dead or wounded near a river whose name would live on forever; the River of Somme.
It was one of the most significant defeats for the British Army.
However, it is often forgotten that three Divisions captured their objectives, and that several others while not doing so did perform exceptional feats. The Ulster Division was one of them: it captured and held for a considerable time the Schwaben Redoubt, despite virtually no progress being made by either Division on its flanks. Bear in mind that the 36th (Ulster) had no had no regular battalions attached to it to act as " stiffeners" yet it had advanced further than any other Division.
On that morning The 36th (Ulster) division had been allotted the task of taking the German trenches beside the River Ancre, and north of the village Thiepval. This included the taking of the heavily fortified "Schwaben Redoubt". As the battle commenced things went well at first, then misfortune struck the Ulstermen. The 32nd division failed to take the fortress village of Thiepval, so the German guns were turned on the men from Ulster. They fell in dozens, those not killed crawled into shell holes for cover. Despite heavy casualties the Inniskillings (109 Brigade) surged forward, and somehow took the supposedly impregnable "Schwaben Redoubt" silencing the German machine-guns, by 8.30 a.m. having covered one mile of devasted land, they carried out their objective.
On their left, 108 Brigade was exposed to a hail of machine-gun fire from the "Beaucourt Redoubt" across the river Ancre. The 13th Irish Rifles lost nearly all of it's officers, before reaching the enemies trenches. "A & D" companies from the 11th Irish Rifles, were almost annihilated. The 15th Irish Rifles, pressed on over the top of the dead and dying to take their objective, the north-east comer of the "Schwaben Redoubt". The 12th Irish Rifles and the Irish Fusiliers, suffered horrendous casualties, twice they reformed, but were both times cut down.
Meanwhile 107 Brigade "8th, 9th and 10th Irish Rifles" advanced through the ranks of 109 Brigade "which included the 14th Irish Rifles (Y.C.V.'s) and occupied the German trenches before the Grandcourt Line, two thirds of them being cut down as they charged across the open ground. The surviving troops occupying their final objective, after hand to hand fighting. Later that day the Germans counter-attacked and pushed the Ulstermen back to the German second line. They held this line all the next day and were relieved in the early hours of the 3rd of July by the 49th Division.
Of the nine Victoria Crosses which were awarded for outstanding bravery on that day, four were won by men of the Ulster Division:
The (Ulster) Division had lost 5,500 officers and men on the first day of fighting of which 3,000 were killed. Amongst the many rewards for bravery, were four Victoria Crosses.
The recipients were:- Captain E. N. F. Bell, 9th BN. Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers (Tyrone Volunteers).
Lt. G. St. G. S. Cather, 9th BN. Royal Irish Fusiliers (Armagh, Monaghan & Cavan Volunteers).
Pte. R. Quigg, 12th BN. Royal Irish Rifles (Central Antrim Volunteers).
Pte. W. F. McFadzean, 14th BN. Royal Irish Rifles (Young Citizen Volunteers).
They shall not grow old As we that are left grow old
Age shall not weary them Nor the years condemn
At the going down of the sun And in the morning
We will remember them"
http://freespace.virgin.net/sh.k/xvidiv.html
http://www.belfastsomme.com/
Still to this day the men from both North and South of Ireland make up the largest Infantry Regiment in the British Army - The Royal Irish Regiment.
