Later information of the enemy's losses show that our first estimates were too low. The general situation may be regarded as favourable. On the other side of the valley, on the Ancre, the situation is unchanged. A considerable quantity of war material has fallen into our hands, but details are not at present available. In the neighbourhood of La Boisselle the enemy is offering a stubborn resistance, but our troops are making satisfactory progress. Fricourt, which was captured by our troops about 2pm, remains in our hands, and some progress has been made east of the village. General Headquarters, Sunday 10.15pm: Heavy fighting has taken place today in the area between the Ancre and the Somme, especially about Fricourt and La Boisselle. The end of the extract is a clear reference to letters being censored. This so some poor chaps are going throughīeginning of a Letter from Sergeant Robert Constantine to his Brother, Jim, 4 September 1916, Durham County Record Office, D/DLI 7/137/5 1 Tell you if you are right, theres an awful My chance the same has all the other boys. Such luck, never mind I’ll just have to take The war was finished before we go up, but no To take part in the push & I am only wishing We haven’t half been getting put through it Sergeant Robert Constantine’s letter to his brother Jimįurther up here when they go into action. Source: sketch of the attack on the Butte de Warlencourt by Captain Mauchlen, November 1916ĭ/DLI 7/920/10(5) Copyright © Durham County Record Office. And we saw some awful sights in it for a lot wounded men that not been got out then.”Įxtracts from the pocket diary of Private Walter Hutchinson from the first four days of the Battle of the Somme in 1917 We then landed at the trench we was making for and found out it was our own original front line trench. But had not gone far before I was hit on the hip with a piece of shell.īut I was still like Charleys Aunt, I kept running after the boys. I scrambled out and ran after the other boys. I was running across a trench when the grid broke and let me through. And was soon out of the trench and going across the open. Then the order came down dump everything and fix bayonets you have got to fight for it lads. It was one of the awful sights I had ever witnessed and at this point our own lads was coming out wounded as we was following them in. We had to go scrambling over the poor fellows - in and out, in and out. Their names were Voice and Webster Brothers. Their heads been badly damaged by a shell. We hadn't gone far up the trench before we came across three of our own lads lying dead. Well we raced up and down that trench until every man was done up for we kept getting the orders about turn, double out, and then advance. But before we had time to get in it Fritz sent us a tear shell. We then landed to a communication trench. When we was going across the marsh, German shells was dropping all round but none of us was hit. As soon as we got on the road we saw an awful sight for there was wounded men by hundreds coming from the line. "On Saturday July 1st we set off for the trenches about 10 o'clock.
Peter Simkins The battle viewed by soldiers Then, read the two short commentaries by historians: First, learn more about the battle itself thanks to the BBC website.
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