The inhabitants of the Somme (which is a county) have
been exposed to many invading armies over the centuries. The Romans
came, the Vikings, the Spaniards among others, and pillaged settlements
in the region. Later in 1870 a series of conflicts with the German-speaking
peoples began: Prussia invaded in 1870, the First World War commenced
in 1914 and later in 1940 France capitulated and became an occupied
country bending under the nazi yoke.
One must appreciate that the inhabitants of the Somme witnessed two
appalling wars in the 20th century. The most dreadful battle that took
place here began on July 1st 1916. That day it was the British army,
not the French, that suffered catastrophic losses. At 07.30 hours in
the morning 100,000 British troops left the security of their trenches
between Serre and Maricourt. (The French sector began after Maricourt).
A lady living in Millencourt, a village situated behind the British
lines, often told the tale of how that morning she heard the rallying
cries of the British men as they launched their attack. This courage
is to be admired but it was in vain. The German machine guns knocked
them down in huge numbers.
By 09.00 hours roughly 60,000 men were either killed
or wounded. No army has ever sustained such losses in such a short space
of time. The 1st of July and The Battle of the Somme (which in fact
lasted several months, until the Winter of 1916) will never be forgotten
by the British people.
Should you visit the Somme county (department) you will be taken aback
by the plethora of British, Commonwealth, German & French military
cemeteries in the area. Here lie thousands of men who fought during
the four long years of the First World War.
Want to know more? Please consult our LINKS
page. There are plenty of websites that can give you more detailed information.
You can also pay a visit to Albert’s Musée Somme 1916 –
The Somme Trench Museum, also on our LINKS
page.
