The Battle of the Somme was one of the largest single battles of the Great War, which started on the 1st of July 1916 when the Commonwealth lost nearly 60,000 alone on the first day, before petering out in late autumn of the same year. It is also remembered for the detonated a 40,000-pound (18,000 kg) mine beneath Hawthorn Ridge Redoubt signalling the start of the battle, and the introduction of the tank for the first time on the battlefield on the 17th September 1916. The names of over 170,000 Commonwealth soldiers with no known graves who died on the Somme between 1916 – 18 are commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial.
Established by Royal Charter in 1917, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) pays tribute to the 1,700,000 men and women of the Commonwealth forces who died in the two world wars. It is a non–profit–making organisation that was founded by Sir Fabian Ware. The Commission’s principles are that:
- each of the dead should be commemorated by name on the headstone or memorial
- headstones and memorials should be permanent
- headstones should be uniform and there should be no distinction made on account of military or civil rank, race or creed
Aluminium identity discs were first issued to British troops in 1907. It wasn’t until towards the end of 1916 during the Great War that two fibreboard discs, one round and one octagonal were issued to soldiers, bearing their name, religion and service number, and worn on a string around the neck. When the soldier was dead, the round red disc that was attached to the green octagonal disc was taken from the body and used to identify the soldiers belongings when they were sent home. The green octagonal disc that hung around the neck, stayed with the body to aid identification should be body be exhumed at a later date.
In 1921, there was no annual Michelin Guide to France, because Michelin’s Parisian offices were too busy preparing their ‘Guides to the Battlefields’. In 1922, the Guide books went on sale for 7 francs.
Itinerary
Below is an example of some of the sites to visit. As each tour is bespoke, you will receive confirmation of your personal itinerary with your booking confirmation.
- Gommecourt and Serre
- Lochnagar
- Pozières
- Hawthorn Ridge
- Beaumont–Hamel
- High, Thrones and Delville Woods
- Flers
- Thiepval Memorial
- Memorial Ulster Tower
- Newfoundland Memorial Park