Official 1st July - The anniversary of the opening day of the Battle of the Somme, 1916

mdingwall

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In proud and loving memory of all those who laid down their lives for the cause of liberty in battle.




Picture - Two Minute Silence by Charles Spencelayh, 1928​

https://www.encore-editions.com/two-minute-silence-by-charles-spencelayh/

“The Lad”

By the Reverend W F Marshall, The Bard of Tyrone


The’ were no great aff-set anywhere,
The scutchers o times ago,
For drink - it follaed them like a curse
That wrought amang the tow.

Plenishment they'd have little or noan
Exceptin what they'd stale,
An they'd make the childèrn go out an beg
Fur gopins of Indian male.

I knew a scutcher wance - he wrought in Shane,
He was a drunken scrub,
But he raired a son, an I mind that son
A smart wee lump o a cub.

His clothes were like wings, even his cap was tore.
An his fire was the fire at the kill.
An he went tae school on his wee bare feet.
An he niver got half his fill.

Above the mill there was this big steep hill
Where he could see to the graveyard wall,
To the market-house, an the station gates,
An the new Hibernian Hall.

You could hear him singing goin up that hill,
But God knows why he sung,
Because the people said he'd see the day
When his da was sure tae be hung.

When the Twelfth was near he'd march the road,
Wi his drumsticks in his han,
Boy, he was good at the double roll
On the lid of an oul tin can.

He played his lone, for th’ other weans
Wus ashamed of him an his rags,
So he trundled his hoop an he waded the burn
An he ginnled for spricklybags.

I mind the yeir he took up with me,
The ploughin had jaist begun,
An as I waatched him leadin the horses roun,
That drunken scutcher's son,

It was little I thought that in times to come
Ay, more than a son he'd be,
For his father died in a wattèr-sheugh
An he cum to live wi me.

He was odd in a way for I think he heard
What nobody else could hear,
An he seen what I could never see,
Although me sight was clear.

The top of a hill bewitched him still,
An the fire at the mountain's rim,
But the best of all was the runnin burn
Because he said it sung tae him.

There was them that tuk it on themselves tae say
He was sure tae turn out wile,
But that young lad grew till he grew man big
But he kept the heart of a chile.

The longer he lived about the place
The less I had tae fear.
And there was never a word frae him to me
But done me good tae hear.

But A'm lonesome now for he went away,
An me sight is getting dim;
But I didn't ask tae hold him back
When they needed men like him.

He's sleepin now where the poppies grow,
In a coat that the bullets tore,
An what use is a wheen o medals tae me
When me own wee lad's no more?
 
I attended a memorial to the fallen on the 1st day in Exeter a few years ago when an artist created a 12 inch shrouded figures for each soldier who had died on the 1st day, it really brought it home just how horrific a battle it was, RIP.
 
Today's 12th Of July was originally celebrated on 1st Of July. History records that many of the 36th Ulster Division at The Battle Of The Somme wore their sashes and shouted 'No Surrender' as they charged the German Lines.

Taken From Benvarden Temperance True Blues LOL 1001 Site -

'The Ulstermen, eager to go on the attack, were in a state of patriotic fervour because 1st July was the 'old style calendar' anniversary of the Battle of the Boyne. Many of them who belonged to the Loyal Orders wore sashes. Prayers were said, hymns were sung and the Ulster Division was ready for battle.

When the signal was given, the men of Ulster rose from their positions and charged into the pages of history. Within the next few hours, they performed immortal acts of courage, valour and heroism'.

The rest of the article is available here.

Benvarden Temperance True Blues LOL 1001
Picture

One of the most famous paintings in Belfast City Hall. It is entitled ‘Attack by the Ulster Division 1st July 1916’. It was painted by the famous English artist, James Prinsep Beadle.
 
The following story taken from the 12th Irish Rifles site, 'Hellfire Corner' shows the Ulster Soldier's courage, character and mentality in World War 1 at the Battle Of The Somme.

It makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand and brings a proud tear to my eyes -


One eyewitness recalled: "There was a wee runt of a man from Ballymena, even when standing on a box he could hardly see over the parapet, but a powerful hard wee man. I saw him lying dead with his bayonet stuck into a big German officer twice his size. The German still held in his hand the pistol he shot Jimmie with".

 
“Tread softly here! Go reverently and slow! Yea, let your heart go down upon its knees. And with bowed head, and heart abased, strive hard to grasp the future gain in this sore loss! For not one foot of this dank sod but drank its surfeit of the blood of gallant men . . . ”



The Newfoundland Memorial was unveiled in 1925 by Field Marshal Earl Haig - it features a Caribou calling to its mate and memorialises the sacrifice of the Newfoundland Regiment.


On the morning of the 1st July the Canadians attacked the German lines near the commune of Beaumont-Hamel at the north of the Somme battlefield.

Their major point of reference was a stump called The Danger Tree in No Man's Land stripped bare by rifle fire. Most of them did not get beyond that landmark.

They advanced into the face of withering fire from the defenders of the Wurtenburg Division, within 20 minutes it was all over.

Of the 780 officers and men who went over the top that morning a bare 68 were able to answer the roll call the next morning - the rest were dead, injured, taken prisoner or unaccounted for.
 
One of my mates put up a picture of a trench with British troops standing,sitting around the day before the battle began.looking at the picture i couldn’t help but thinking many of those men deep down knew that the next dawn they saw on the 1st of July would be the last they ever seen.when the whistles blew to go over the top every fiber of you body would be screaming “don’t do this” but these men didn’t hesitate and went over the top.that for me is the definition of courage
 
One of my mates put up a picture of a trench with British troops standing,sitting around the day before the battle began.looking at the picture i couldn’t help but thinking many of those men deep down knew that the next dawn they saw on the 1st of July would be the last they ever seen.when the whistles blew to go over the top every fiber of you body would be screaming “don’t do this” but these men didn’t hesitate and went over the top.that for me is the definition of courage
For Britain
For Ulster
For King
For Covenant
For Freedom
 
One of my mates put up a picture of a trench with British troops standing,sitting around the day before the battle began.looking at the picture i couldn’t help but thinking many of those men deep down knew that the next dawn they saw on the 1st of July would be the last they ever seen.when the whistles blew to go over the top every fiber of you body would be screaming “don’t do this” but these men didn’t hesitate and went over the top.that for me is the definition of courage
This one is haunting

 
Good site for children and adults.

History Heroes

Billy McFadzean VC Royal Irish Rifles at the Battle of the Somme​

History Heroes: World War One hero, Billy McFadzean was a genuine hero.He sacrificed his life for his fellow soldiers on the first day of the Battle of the Somme. He died before the fighting had even started. Billy McFadzean was a 20 year old rifleman in the 14th battalion of the Royal Irish Rifles in the British Army. He was a strapping, 6′ tall rugby playing lad, who found himself in the trenches as a bomber.

billy mcfadzean, world war one, history heroes, card games, battle of the somme, educational games, facts for children

WW1 Hero, Billy McFadzean at the Battle of the Somme
Billy’s job was to go ‘over the top’ of the trenches, carrying buckets of hand bombs to lob at the Germans. That morning, the 1st July 1916, the Allies prepared for battle with their trenches packed with soldiers. A box of bombs was opened for attack and slipped near Billy. He saw two of the bombs lose their safety pins. Without hesitation Billy threw himself on the box of bombs just before they exploded. Billy died but absorbed the bombs’ impact. Despite the crowded trenches, only one other soldier was injured by the explosion as a result of Billy’s bravery and sacrifice. Unsurprisingly Billy was awarded the Victoria Cross for ‘most conspicuous bravery’. Before Billy died, he had written home to his family about his part in the war, “I hope to play the game and if I don’t add much lustre to it, I certainly will not tarnish it.’ A heartbreakingly, deeply fulfilled wish.
The day that Billy died, the 1st July 1916, was the first day of the Battle of the Somme. That day became the bloodiest day in the history of the British Army. Over 19,000 British soldiers died that day – let alone soldiers from the French and German armies too. At least one man died every second. By the end of the Battle of the Somme, 141 days later, over one million soldiers from British, French and German armies had been wounded or killed.
Billy McFadzean is remembered at the Thiepval Memorial along with thousands of other soldiers. Thiepval is near to where the battle took place. It was designed by another character from History Heroes: World War One card game – Edwin Lutyens. Thiepval is the largest Commonwealth Memorial in the world dedicated to the Missing. The Battle of the Somme spawned a lot of ‘firsts’: the biggest memorial; the most British soldiers killed in one day…and poor Billy McFadzean was one of the first to die that day.
You can read more about the Battle of the Somme and why it went so wrong on the BBC’s website. Learn more about Billy McFadzean on this website too and about how he won his Victoria Cross.

Celebrating Welsh History Heroes on St David's Day

 
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Good site for children and adults.

History Heroes

Billy McFadzean VC Royal Irish Rifles at the Battle of the Somme​

History Heroes: World War One hero, Billy McFadzean was a genuine hero.He sacrificed his life for his fellow soldiers on the first day of the Battle of the Somme. He died before the fighting had even started. Billy McFadzean was a 20 year old rifleman in the 14th battalion of the Royal Irish Rifles in the British Army. He was a strapping, 6′ tall rugby playing lad, who found himself in the trenches as a bomber.

billy mcfadzean, world war one, history heroes, card games, battle of the somme, educational games, facts for children

WW1 Hero, Billy McFadzean at the Battle of the Somme
Billy’s job was to go ‘over the top’ of the trenches, carrying buckets of hand bombs to lob at the Germans. That morning, the 1st July 1916, the Allies prepared for battle with their trenches packed with soldiers. A box of bombs was opened for attack and slipped near Billy. He saw two of the bombs lose their safety pins. Without hesitation Billy threw himself on the box of bombs just before they exploded. Billy died but absorbed the bombs’ impact. Despite the crowded trenches, only one other soldier was injured by the explosion as a result of Billy’s bravery and sacrifice. Unsurprisingly Billy was awarded the Victoria Cross for ‘most conspicuous bravery’. Before Billy died, he had written home to his family about his part in the war, “I hope to play the game and if I don’t add much lustre to it, I certainly will not tarnish it.’ A heartbreakingly, deeply fulfilled wish.
The day that Billy died, the 1st July 1916, was the first day of the Battle of the Somme. That day became the bloodiest day in the history of the British Army. Over 19,000 British soldiers died that day – let alone soldiers from the French and German armies too. At least one man died every second. By the end of the Battle of the Somme, 141 days later, over one million soldiers from British, French and German armies had been wounded or killed.
Billy McFadzean is remembered at the Thiepval Memorial along with thousands of other soldiers. Thiepval is near to where the battle took place. It was designed by another character from History Heroes: World War One card game – Edwin Lutyens. Thiepval is the largest Commonwealth Memorial in the world dedicated to the Missing. The Battle of the Somme spawned a lot of ‘firsts’: the biggest memorial; the most British soldiers killed in one day…and poor Billy McFadzean was one of the first to die that day.
You can read more about the Battle of the Somme and why it went so wrong on the BBC’s website. Learn more about Billy McFadzean on this website too and about how he won his Victoria Cross.

Celebrating Welsh History Heroes on St David's Day's Day

“I hope to play the game and if I don’t add much lustre to it, I certainly will not tarnish it."

His lustre shines as a beacon forever!
 
I attended a memorial to the fallen on the 1st day in Exeter a few years ago when an artist created a 12 inch shrouded figures for each soldier who had died on the 1st day, it really brought it home just how horrific a battle it was, RIP.

Apart from the Covid years , I have been over to The Somme every year for the last 12 years.

Some of the sights and stories are both horrific and heroic.

When you first walk in to Tynecot Cemetery it is astounding and needs time to try and comprehend the loss.

But those images in your post mate are absolutely striking and heartbreaking.

Lest We Forget.
 
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