Sheffield City Battalion (Sheffield Pals)

[mjw47]

Shanes teeth. Two of my mates & I have booked to go over on 4th June to visit the grave of a first cousin of mine (once removed ) who served in the 12th battalion & Fell on 1st of July 1916 whilst advancing on Serre. He is buried in Luke copse cemetery.

 

We are staying for a couple of days in Albert & chose to go the month before the anniversary as basically we're hoping to just have a quite look around, pay our respects to 'our Horace' & take in a few of the other sites.

Having never been before I assume we can do that without too much bother.

 

Also, as you are obviously quite familiar with the area is there a 'must see' site that we should take in whilst there?

None of us is a First War buff or anything like that, but we have a general interest in history & decided to go on this trip because of my family connection with a 19 year old Sheffield lad who ran out of luck ,together with 512 of his comrades on that morning.

[shanes teeth]

First,before you go I would sugest that you read Martin Middlebrook's First Day of the Somme and try to get hold of a frontline map such as Major and MrsHolt's Battle Map of the Somme.

Serre is at the northern end of the Somme battle front (appart from Gommecourt where a diversionary attack took place)You'll see the Sheffield Memorial and a short walk over the fields leads to the Sheffield Memorial Park passing Lukes Copse on the way.

I would then drive south following the line of the front stopping off at the various cemeteries and memorials on the way.For me,some of the more notable ones are Auchonvillers where there is a great little cafe with a series of restored trenches at the back that was a casualty clearing station.last time we were there they were in the process of opening a small museum across the road which looked as though it was going to be very good.

Next down is the Newfoundland Park near Beaumont Hamel which is well worth visiting.

Then stop at the Thiepval memorial which comemorates the 72,000 men who have no known grave who died on the Somme

Close to there is the Ulster Tower and then down to La Boiselle to see the Lochnagar crater.

Further south is Mametz and Mansell copse,also worth visiting.

There are excellent museums at Albert(under the basillica),at Thiepval and the Historial de la Grande Guerre at Peronne,which I think is the best museum of them all.

I do know a bloke who does great guided tours,they are not cheap and I think for a first short visit I would get a feel for the place myself.

I'm sure you'll have an interesting,moving and humbling trip and I doubt that it will be your only trip.I just keep getting drawn back there.

Have a great trip!

[mjw47]

Shanes teeth. Thanks for that, I'll be seeing the two guys I'm going with tomorrow & I'll pass on your suggestions.

The father of another mate of mine was wounded at Beaumont Hamel & I'll be interested in having a look around there. Also a Sheffielder, the interesting thing was that he was in the Royal Navy & was transferred into a naval fighting unit on the Somme as they were running out of men.

[shanes teeth]

I'd be interested to know how your trip went when you get back.

[mjw47]

Will let you know how it went, & once again, thanks for the advice.