The Battle of the Somme: The Terrible fate of the Newfoundlands

Barbed Wire on the Battlefield at Beaumont-Hamel

The Battle of the Somme is arguably the most infamous battle of the First World War.  Considered as perhaps the definitive battle of the war, the images of mud and death are some of the most powerful in recalling the horror and futility of the conflict.

On the first day alone, the British Army reported 57,000 casualties, still the deadliest day in its history.  By the battles end some 141 days later, over 3 million men would have fought along the 25-mile front.  Over a million would be killed or wounded for an Allied advance of a mere 7 miles into German territory.

There are many museums and memorials along the Western Front.  The multitude of cemeteries, are a stark reminder of the human cost of the war.  One particular memorial, at Beaumont-Hamel, just north of the town of Albert, tells the story of the Newfoundland Regiment and their tragic contribution on that sunny summers Saturday morning of July 1^st 1916.

Newfoundland Memorial Beaumont-Hamel

Newfoundland in 1914 was a Dominion of the British Empire and not yet part of Canada.  The population was rural and numbered just 240,000. The largest settlement as it is today was St. Johns with just 32,000 inhabitants.  Nevertheless, showing the same sort of enthusiasm as found across the British Empire, the Newfoundland Regiment was formed shortly after the outbreak of war.  After training in Britain, the 1000 troops were posted to support the Gallipoli campaign.  Then following a period of leave they were posted to The Somme.

The battle itself began at 6am with a prolonged artillery barrage which continued for an hour.  At 7:20am a mine was detonated beneath the German defensive position on Hawthorn Ridge, just to the west of Beaumont-Hamel, creating a 40-metre-wide crater.  Ten minutes later at 7:30am the troops went over the top.  The 10-minute delay had given the German defenders time to prepare for the advancing troops, and their advance faced a fierce barrage of machine gun and artillery fire.

Due to confusion, Allied commanders believed the advance had been successful and ordered reinforcements to push forward.  The Newfoundlands were given the order to advance at 8:45am.

Finding it impossible to advance along the communication trenches due to the number of wounded men, the order was given to advance on the surface.  German guns cut most of them down before they had even reached the front-line trench.

Survivors tried to push on.  The initial allied artillery barrage had destroyed any cover for the advancing men, save for a petrified Apple Tree, later to be christened “The Danger Tree.”  As men made to use the meagre cover, they were easy targets for the German gunners and many died beneath its branches.  Those that made it further were to find the German positions heavily fortified, and would perish in the barbed wire defences.

The Danger Tree

By 9:45 the attack was abandoned, and the few survivors made their way back to the Allied front line.  One man, Private James McGrath, spent 17 hours in No Man’s Land before managing to make it back to the safety of the allied trenches.  Badly wounded he had crawled a mile across the battlefield.  In an interview by the Newfoundland Quarterly he recalled that “The Germans mowed us down like sheep.”

He was one of the lucky ones.  The Newfoundland Regiment had gone into battle that morning with 780 men.  In just an hour 670 were killed or wounded.  At roll call the next morning only 68 men answered.  The regiment had been effectively wiped out, suffering a casualty rate in excess of 85%.  Indeed, only the 10^th Battalion West Yorkshire Regiment suffered greater losses in their attack at Fricourt, just to the south of Beaumont-Hamel.

In the aftermath, Beaumont-Hamel became a quiet part of the front.  Commanders had realised that the German positions here were too well fortified to be attacked successfully.

In 1921 the battlefield was purchased by the government of Newfoundland in order to build a permanent memorial to the fallen.  In 1925 the Newfoundland Memorial Park was opened by Field Marshall Earl Haig.  Since the confederation of Newfoundland with Canada in 1949 the site is maintained by the Canadian Government.

The centrepiece of the memorial park is a Bronze Caribou statue that looks across the battlefield.  It stands on a mound of Newfoundland Granite, imported specifically for the memorial.  Additionally, there are three cemeteries inside the park, containing the bodies of 700 of the fallen.  There is also a memorial to the 51^st Highland Division that fought here in the later years of the war.

The park also contains the preserved remains of the Allied and German trenches, and a reproduction “Danger Tree” in No Mans Land.  It is possible to walk across the battlefield and remember those men who lost their lives during the battle.  Perhaps the most haunting experience is to stand in the German trenches looking back towards the Allied front line.  From here it is possible to imagine how easily the Germans were able to inflict such devastating losses on the advancing troops.  There is a clear view across No Man’s Land, and as you watch other visitors emerge from the Allied trenches, they are easy targets for the machine guns that defended the position.

The visitors centre contains displays describing the history of the Newfoundland Regiment and their role in the Battle of the Somme.  From here it is possible to arrange a guided tour of the park.  These are provided by Canadian students that spend a year in France as part of their studies.

Access to the Newfoundland Memorial Park is free and the park is open at all hours.

Restricted opening hours apply only to the Visitor Centre as follows:
Open Mondays 11.00 - 17.00 hours; Tuesday - Sunday 09.00 - 17.00 hours

For information or reservations for guided tours contact:

Address: Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial, Rue de l'Église (route D73), 80300 Beaumont-Hamel, France

Telephone: +33 (0)3 22 76 70 86

Email: beaumonthamel.memorial@vac-acc.gc.ca

Website: www.veterans.gc.ca Beaumont Hamel

Bentham’s Nuclear Bunker

On the moor between High Bentham and Clapham there used to be a secret military installation. Part of a national network whose purpose was to assist in the defence against nuclear attack, this is the story of Bentham’s Nuclear Bunker.

Following the First World War, the government concerned about the threat of attack by enemy aircraft, formed the Observer Corps. This new force was made up of local volunteers spread across the whole country. Their job was to recognise and identify hostile enemy aircraft flying overhead.

Observation posts were built on open and high ground. In more urban areas high buildings would be chosen, including one on the Brunswick Tower of Windsor Castle. These posts would usually be wooden or concrete platforms protected by sandbags. Each post would be manned by a minimum of three observers and would communicate to one of 39 control centres by telephone.

By the time of the Second World War, there were over 1500 observation posts, manned by more than 100,000 volunteer observers. Whilst the Chain Home radar system could track the approach of enemy aircraft, once over the coast it was these volunteer posts that played the vital role in monitoring aircraft movements. The Corps were bestowed with the Royal title by King George VI in 1941 in recognition of the important part they had played during the Battle of Britain.

A typical observation post c1939.

Following advances in aircraft and tracking technology, the need for visual identification of aircraft was much reduced. As the Cold War intensified the government decided to modify the role of the ROC to help with defence against Nuclear attack.

Between 1958 and 1968 the traditional observation posts were replaced by sub-surface reinforced concrete bunkers at a cost of around £5000 each. This created a network of 1563 bunkers built around eight miles from each other right across the UK. These were excavated to a depth of 25 feet. Inside was a large room containing detection apparatus, canvas chairs, desk and metal bunk beds. A smaller room with a chemical toilet cubicle was attached. Electric light was provided by a 12 Volt car battery, that could be charged from a small petrol generator. On the surface there were two ventilation ducts and a single hatch to access the bunker via a steel ladder.

Cross section of a typical bunker.

Each post would be manned by three observers, still local volunteers. Their task was to detect the size and direction of any nuclear blast and monitor the radioactive fallout. It was anticipated that the crew would need to remain underground for at least 21 days after an attack. The conditions could only be described as cramped, cold and damp.

The bunkers were grouped into clusters of between three and five, with one designated as a master. Bunkers communicated with the master using standard telephone lines, one of the best ways to identify one is a line of redundant telegraph poles that stop in the middle of a field. The master bunker was also equipped with radio communications in order to contact the regional control centre.

By 1968 the government had decided that the Cold War had begun to thaw, and the threat of nuclear war had eased. Many local areas were beginning to have trouble recruiting enough volunteers to man the bunkers in any case. The decision was taken to reduce the number of posts and the number was slashed by more than half. The remainder stayed in service until 1991 when the ROC was finally disbanded and all the observation posts closed.

A large number of the bunkers were filled in and demolished. Many of the sites were bought by mobile phone operators as their strategic locations on high ground were ideal for cellular radio masts.

Which brings us to the fate of the Bentham bunker. It was located on the side of the B6480 Clapham Road, just short of the Greystonegill Lane/Nutgill Lane crossroads. It closed in 1991 when the ROC was disbanded, and was finally demolished in 1997 when a mobile phone mast was built on the site.

Site of Bentham Bunker today.

Most of the neighbouring bunkers in the cluster have suffered a similar fate. Caton was located next to Bull Beck Picnic Site. It closed in 1968, and the bunker became a septic tank for the picnic site. The bunker at Settle was closed in 1991 and was located in a field between Anley Hall Nursing Home and Lords Close. It was demolished and nothing remains. At Horton-in-Ribblesdale the bunker was just north of St. Oswald’s Church. It closed in 1991 and has also been demolished.

However, the master station at Kirkby Lonsdale survives. It is located in a rectangular fenced compound next to the new Oakfield Park housing development adjacent to the QES Astroturf. Although it too closed in 1991, the surface features are still clearly visible. So next time you do the school run or go shopping at Booths in Kirkby, spare a thought for the brave volunteers of the ROC who manned the all the observation posts to help defend the country. The hatch is however firmly locked.

Kirkby Lonsdale Observation Post.