Dugmore - Blood in the trenches : a memoir of the Battle of the Somme

This edition published in 2014 by
Pen & Sword Military
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This book was first published as When the Somme Ran Red
by George H. Doran Company, New York, 1918.

Copyright Coda Books Ltd.
Published under licence by Pen & Sword Books Ltd.

ISBN: 9781783463114
EPUB ISBN: 9781473850507
PRC ISBN: 9781473850576

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

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Being a very egotistical account of my own personal experiences and observations from the early days of the war in Belgium to the Great Battle of the Somme in July, 1916

As a token of admiration this book is dedicated with all humility to the glorious memory of the officers and men of the Kings own Yorkshire light infantry who fell in the Battle of the Somme, and to the others who made the supreme sacrifice in the cause of humanity.

C ONTENTS

FOREWORD

THE SECOND BATTLE OF THE SOMME IN RELATION TO THE BRITISH OFFENSIVE OF 1916

W HEN THE GERMANS undertook their great offensive against France in 1914 their plan was, of course, to overrun with the utmost speed, a sufficiently large area of the country to ensure an almost immediate and complete victory. Paris was the first important objective. The attainment of this was to have been followed rapidly by a drive against the sea-port towns on the English Channel, with the obvious effect of preventing Great Britain from coming to the assistance of her ally. In planning this ambitious scheme of conquest the German strategists realized the possibility of failure and selected as their strategic line of defense, in case they were forced back from Paris, the region east of the Somme and northward from Curlu, taking in the line which included the villages of Mametz, Fricourt, La Boisselle, Ovillers, Thipval, Beaumont, Hamel, Gommecourt, and on in a more or less northerly direction to the coast.

This line was chosen with the greatest possible skill. It followed the series of ridges and hills and thus gave command of the country to the west; in other words, any attack against the Germans would have to be made uphill, always a difficult undertaking. Besides the natural strength of the position the line was made still more secure by the employment of every device known to military science, so that it was regarded as an almost impregnable system of trenches. This then was the line we were to attack in July, 1916, largely with the idea of relieving the pressure that was being exerted against Verdun.

In the following pages I have attempted to give some idea of how at least on one part of the front, the offensive was carried out. It was written before the recent gigantic German attacks, which, unfortunately, have succeeded in forcing us back to a line which in part is west of the position we occupied in June, 1916. Whether or not we could have avoided yielding this ground I am not in a position to know, but there is every reason to believe that to have held our line would have involved the sacrifice of such an immense number of lives that it was considered wiser to give up the ground, at the same time making the Germans pay a toll in lives out of all proportion to the value of the territory they have gained.

Whether or not this is Germanys final effort none of us can tell. The common idea is that if it fails the German people will demand peace, as they will be sickened by the ghastly slaughter, which has surpassed anything the world has ever known. This theory is not generally believed by those who are in the best position to judge, so it is not wise for us to make plans based on the supposition that peace is near. Such action would mean the delaying of the most necessary war preparations, and this is exactly what the Germans are most anxious to have happen. It is the work of their propagandists to make people believe that the war will very soon be finished, so that we shall slow down on the manufacturing of war material and the training of men. It is well, therefore, to guard against all stories dealing with early peace, and if possible try to trace the origin of such stories. The source will in nearly all cases be found to be German, or what is equally vile, pacifist, for the pacifist is quite as dangerous as the pro-German in our midst. He would have us, among other things, conclude a shameful peace on any terms, he would have us barter our heritage of liberty and freedom for whatever disgraceful form of government the unprincipled military power of Germany would impose on us, so that those who have died for our cause would have died in vain.

Unfortunately so little information has been given to the public regarding the exact position occupied by the Allies at the present time that it is extremely difficult to form any accurate opinion of the situation. Apparently the Germans are in possession of the country east of a line running south from Bailleul to Mourlancourt, from which point it appears to swing slightly westerly, curving round to Montdidier. Albert is in the hands of the enemy, and the famous statue of the leaning Virgin, mentioned in another chapter, has probably already been melted down for the purpose of making munitions. From Albert to Corbie runs the little river Ancre, which is bordered by more or less swampy ground from Ville to where it joins the Somme. On either side of the valley is high rolling ground, most of which is under cultivation, with patches of woodland here and there. It is ideal country for open warfare. Judging from the accounts that have been published, I am inclined to believe that we still hold the north side of the valley as far as Heilly, or perhaps a little farther toward Corbie, but whether we are in possession of the high ground which overlooks the town from the east and south I do not know. Everything depends on this, as these hills completely dominate the town. Should Corbie fall, the position of Amiens will be very serious and for many reasons the Germans are most anxious to force us out of this important town and railway centre.

From Corbie to Amiens there is a wide belt of low and somewhat swampy land following the river. This is controlled to some extent by a range of hills on the north side and to a less extent by lower rolling ground on the south, so that unless the Huns cross the Somme, and attempt to outflank us, the attack on Amiens would be difficult and very costly. It is quite impossible to make predictions with any degree of accuracy, but though the situation at the present moment is serious, the optimistic tone of the French and British commanders as expressed in the newspapers should give us reason to believe that the great German offensive is doomed to ultimate failure, even though it gains a considerable amount of territory.