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Thiepval Memorial to the Missing |
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Somme, France |
Click here to view many more images of the memorial and more images of those commemorated
| The Thiepval Memorial will be found on the D73, off the main Bapaume to
Albert road (D929). Each year a major ceremony is held at the memorial on 1
July.
On 1 July 1916, supported by a French attack to the south, thirteen divisions of Commonwealth forces launched an offensive on a line from north of Gommecourt to Maricourt. Despite a preliminary bombardment lasting seven days, the German defences were barely touched and the attack met unexpectedly fierce resistance. Losses were catastrophic and with only minimal advances on the southern flank, the initial attack was a failure. In the following weeks, huge resources of manpower and equipment were deployed in an attempt to exploit the modest successes of the first day. However, the German Army resisted tenaciously and repeated attacks and counter attacks meant a major battle for every village, copse and farmhouse gained. At the end of September, Thiepval was finally captured. The village had been an original objective of 1 July. Attacks north and east continued throughout October and into November in increasingly difficult weather conditions. The Battle of the Somme finally ended on 18 November with the onset of winter. In the spring of 1917, the German forces fell back to their newly prepared defences, the Hindenburg Line, and there were no further significant engagements in the Somme sector until the Germans mounted their major offensive in March 1918. The Thiepval Memorial, the Memorial to the Missing of the Somme, bears the names of more than 72,000 officers and men of the United Kingdom and South African forces who died in the Somme sector before 20 March 1918 and have no known grave. Over 90% of those commemorated died between July and November 1916. The memorial also serves as an Anglo-French Battle Memorial in recognition of the joint nature of the 1916 offensive and a small cemetery containing equal numbers of Commonwealth and French graves lies at the foot of the memorial. The memorial, designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, was built between 1928 and 1932 and unveiled by the Prince of Wales, in the presence of the President of France, on 31 July 1932. The dead of other Commonwealth countries who died on the Somme and have no known graves are commemorated on national memorials elsewhere.
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2782 Private Wilfrid Chaloner 1st/8th Bn. The King's (Liverpool) Regiment. Killed in action 08/08/1916. Aged 24. Son of Edward and M. E. Chaloner, of 118, Friargate, Preston, Lancs. Pier and Face 1 D 8 B and 8 C. Picture courtesy of John Garlington |
15149 Private
Titus Webb
2nd Bn. South Staffordshire Regiment.
Killed in action 29/07/1916.
Pier and face 7 B.
Titus enlisted in Wolverhampton and originally joined the 7th Bn. South Staffordshire Regiment, he eventually found his way into the 2nd Bn. He was married to Catherine and they had 3 young children, Jane, Mary and Kitty, Before the war he sold fish from a horse and cart and could often be seen around Wolverhampton shouting "Fish alive-O". Titus served in the Balkans and Gallipolli in 1915 and France and Flanders in 1916 where he was killed. His family received the 1914-15 star and the Victory and British War medals.
Picture courtesy of his great grandson Kevin Harris.
Second Lieutenant
Barry Robert Boncker
1st Bn. East Yorkshire Regiment, 01/07/1916,
aged 19.
Pier and Face 2C
Son of Frederic and Violet Boncker, of 35, Whitworth Rd., South Norwood, London.
9895 Corporal
Alfred George Greenhead
6th Bn. Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry, 16/08/1916, aged 23.
Son of Alfred George and Alice Maud Greenhead, of 71, Dennett Rd., West Croydon, Surrey.
Pier and Face 6B
5261 Rifleman
Horace Raymond Waterman
1st/16th Bn. London Regiment
(Queen's Westminster Rifles)
Killed in action near Vimy Ridge, 23/09/1916, aged 26.
Son of Horace and Janet Waterman, of 27, Grange Park Rd., Thornton Heath, Surrey; husband of Marjorie E. Wildish (formerly Waterman), of 19, Murray Rd., Frindsbury, Rochester, Kent.
Pier and Face 13C
2487 Corporal
Francis William Halliday MM.
9th Bn. East Surrey Regiment
Died of wounds 16/08/1916, aged 22.
Son of George Henry and Susan Halliday, of 12, Selhurst Rd., South Norwood, London.
Pier and Face 6B and 6C.
305400 Private
Alfred Thomas Richards
1st/8th Bn. Royal Warwickshire Regiment
Killed in action 01/07/1916, aged 33.
Husband of Frances Eleanor Hitchins (formerly Richards), of 88, Brearley St., Birmingham.
Pier and Face 9 A 9 B and 10 B.
Picture courtesy of Russell Gore
21524 Serjeant
John Burns
11th (S) Bn. South Wales Borderers (2nd Gwent)
Killed in action 07/07/1916, aged 22.
Pier and Face 4A
Picture courtesy of Russell Gore
290530 Private
Andrew Gove
"C" Coy. 7th Bn. Gordon Highlanders.
14/11/1916, aged 18
(actually 17)
Son of Munro and Bridget Watt Gove, of Scotston of Kirkside, St. Cyrus, Montrose, Forfarshire.
Pier and face 15B and 15C
Photo courtesy of Graham Luxford, great nephew of this soldier.
S/4553 Rifleman
Sydney Albert Dymond
13th Bn. Rifle Brigade
10/07/1916.
Pier and Face 16B and 16C
Sydney Albert Dymond. Born 1st May 1894 in Hendon, died, aged 21, 10th July 1916. Son of Thomas William Dymond and Grace Maud Dymond. Beloved husband to Elsie Dymond, he was married June 26th 1915 . Residence 69 Harlesden, Middlesex. He was the father of Grace Eva Mourd Dymond who was born 13/01/16 and who he never got to see but he was never forgotten. He fell whilst serving under the 34th Division on 10th July south of La Boisselle. The 13th Rifle Brigade found itself attacking from the old British front line at 8.45pm, not as part of a co-ordinated action but alone, they became the focus of every German machine gun and artillery piece in La Boisselle, due to a message reaching them to late. 20 officers and 380 other ranks were killed along with the companies second in command and the four company commanders.
Picture courtesy of Sean Doyle, Great Grandson of this soldier
16031 Private
Ernest James Saye
3rd Bn. Coldstream Guards
15/09/1916, aged 28.
Born 02 March 1888
to Walter and Sarah Saye, of Great Wigborough, Tolleshunt
D'Arcy, Essex. (Brother of Tommy Saye who is buried at
Lijssenthoek
Military Cemetery in Belgium. Follow link for an image of Tommy Saye.)
Killed in action on 15 September 1916 during the Battle of
Flers-Courcelette, when tanks were used for the first time in history.
Lost his life with fellow Guardsmen, at Les Boeufs.
Commemorated at
Tolleshunt D'Arcy Parish Church.
Remembered by Niece Pamela Brodie and Great Niece Heather Johnson.
Image courtesy of Heather Johnson
18942 Company Serjeant Major
John Burns
13th Bn. The King's (Liverpool Regiment)
16/08/1916.
He enlisted at Southport on 03/09/1914 and served in France from 1914 - 1916.
He was awarded the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal.
Picture courtesy of his granddaughter, Margaret Booth
G/12973 Serjeant
Richard Monty Daniel
7th Bn. The Buffs (East Kent Regiment)
26/10/1916.
Pier and Face 5 D
'Monty' joined the Royal East Kent Mounted Riles (a Yeomanry battalion) in 1909 whilst he was an apprentice shipwright at Chatham dockyard. By 1915 he had attained the rank of Sergeant and after the decimation of the Battle of the Somme in 1916 he volunteered to transfer to the 7th Buffs who had suffered many casualties in the battle. His young wife Jessie pleaded for him not to go as they had only recently been married in June 1916. However Monty felt it was his duty as a Sergeant to go. My grandfather William Daniel, who was 12 at the time, remembers him taking him to the local shop for sweets before he left for France in September 1916. Monty arrived in the front line on October 20th 1916. He took up position in the captured Fabeck Graben trench and was killed instantly by a German shell on the 26th October. A year later Jessie was still arguing with the army over her pension, as despite his rank of Sergeant in the REKMR, the army said that this rank had not been confirmed in the Buffs at the time of his death.
Picture and text courtesy of Peter Daniel
Second Lieutenant
Algernon Lawrence Berry
14th Bn. Attd. 8th Bn.
Royal Fusiliers
07/07/1916, aged 36.
Son of Henry and Caroline E. Berry, of 3, St. James's St., Piccadilly, London;
husband of Lilian May Berry, of 91, Foxley Lane, Purley, Surrey.
Pier and Face 8 C, 9 A and 16 A.
10871 Private
Charles Henry Arney
5th Bn. Dorsetshire Regiment
26/09/1916, aged 25.
Son of Henry and Emma Jane Arney, of Enmore Green, Shaftesbury, Dorset.
Pier and Face 7B.
Picture courtesy of Marlene Sayers, great niece of this soldier
18106 Serjeant
John Love
13th Bn. Royal Irish Rifles
01/07/1916, aged 30.
Son of Robert James and Rachel Love, of Scotch St., Downpatrick, Co. Down.
Pier and Face 15A and 15B.
Picture courtesy of Lorraine Rea, John Love was her husbands great-uncle
27479 Private
George Colclough
7th Bn. The Loyal North Lancashire Regiment
14/11/1916, aged 17.
Pier and Face 11A
George was the son of Private Joseph Colclough who died on 22nd November 1915, and is buried at Hedge Row Trench Cemetery, near Ypres, Belgium, and Ellen Colclough of Tunstall, Stoke on Trent Staffs, England and the elder brother of my father Thomas Colclough. He was 17, and went to war as a result of three girls from the same street as him sending him a white feather. They were never forgiven. He was only there a few weeks when he was killed. This war took my grandfather, two uncles, one great uncle and several of my father's cousins. Almost an entire generation from one family.
Picture courtesy of Valerie Mosel, nee Colclough, niece of this soldier.
991 Private
James Edward Randle
16th Bn. Royal Warwickshire Regiment
27/07/1916, aged 23.
Son of the late Henry James Randle and of Emma Randle (stepmother), of 5, Belmont St.,
Great Bridge Rd., Bilston, Staffordshire.
Pier and Face 9 A 9 B and 10 B.
Born in Bradley (Wolverhampton). Enlisted at Birmingham September 1914. An original Birmingham Pal.
Picture courtesy of Charlie Smith
17092 Corporal
Phillip Archibald Tatem
1st Bn. Lincolnshire Regiment
and Bermuda Volunteer Rifle Corps.
25/09/1916, aged 24.
Pier and face 1C
Oldest son of William Thomas Tatem and Emma Jessie Miles Tatem, born at Spanish Point, Pembroke, Bermuda 30 July 1892.
Very much loved and missed by his family.
Image courtesy of Sherri Panchaud Onarati
26661 Private
George Samuel Farmer
7th Bn. King's Shropshire Light Infantry
13/11/1916, aged 30.
Son of Charles Farmer, of 23A, Mill St., Ludlow, Salop.
Pier and Face 12 A and 12 D
Picture courtesy of Peter W. Bond, nephew of this soldier
5834 Private
Harry Herbert Freeman
1st/4th Oxford & Bucks Light Infantry
14/08/1916, aged 35.
Pier and Face 10A and 10D
Born in Akeley, Buckinghamshire.
He had been on active service for only a month at the time of his death in the vicinity of Ration Trench.
Son of George and Louisa Freeman (nee Herbert), of Greens Norton, Towcester, Northamptonshire. George was a gardener. They had five children: Alice Freeman (b. 1879), Harry Herbert Freeman (b. 1881), Arthur George Freeman (b. 1885), Horace Freeman (b. 1888), Ray Freeman (b. 1891)
Resident of Greens Norton, Northamptonshire, Enlisted at Bletchley, Buckinghamshire.
Picture and information courtesy of Bill & Hazel Howell (niece of Harry)
26478 Private
Francis Sidney Grover
18th Bn. Manchester Regiment
01/07/1916
Pier and Face 13A and 14C
Picture courtesy of Matthew Abel
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