Page 92 - Mercian Eagle 2016

The Worcesters on the Somme (1 July–18 November 2016)
On 1st July 2016 the Museum launched
a new temporary exhibition in the Worcestershire Soldier Gallery, to mark the centenary of the Battle of the Somme and the role of the Worcestershire Regiment in it.
The Battle of the Somme (1 July – 18 November 1916) was a joint operation between the British and French armies, intended to deliver a decisive victory over the Germans on the Western Front. For many in Britain, the resulting battle remains the most painful and infamous episode of the First World War.
British casualties on the first day numbered over 57,000, of which 19,240 were killed, making it the bloodiest day in British military history. Over the next 141 days, the British advanced a maximum of only seven miles. More than one million men from all sides were killed, wounded or captured.
From the outset The Worcestershire Regiment saw heavy fighting. Six Battalions
were in action on the fateful 1st July 1916, these were: 1st; 3rd; 4th; 1/7th; 1/8th and 10th. They were later joined by the 2nd and the 14th Battalions.
During the five months of fighting on the Somme, the Regiment was accorded a total of 50 Honours and Gallantry awards. These included: two Victoria Crosses (awarded
to Pte T.G. Turrall of 10th Battalion at La Boisselle on 3rd July 1916 and Lt. E.P. Bennett of 2nd Battalion at Transloy Ridge on 5th November 1916); 7 Distinguished Service Orders; 17 Military Crosses; 20 Distinguished Conduct Medals; and 4 Military Medals.
Regimental casualties on 1st July 1916 were recorded as 102. A further 613
were killed in action during the period to November, with other casualties recorded as an additional 3090 wounded and 519 men missing.
The Battle of the Somme, synonymous with senseless slaughter and mud, was the
Captain Eugene Paul Bennet VC. Lt. Bennet won his VC at Transloy Ridge on 5th November 1916
forge in which the metal of the new British Army was tempered. It was the survivors of the Somme who two years later formed the backbone of the force that broke the Hindenburg Line and drove the Germans from French soil. The British Army that advanced so confidently on the 1st of July was a citizen army, only half trained to war; the survivors in mid-November were veterans.
The Worcestershire Soldier Gallery is located in the City Museum and Art Gallery on Foregate St, Worcester, Worcestershire WR1 1DT. It is open Monday to Saturday 10.30am – 4.30am and there is no charge for admission.
“Chivalry”, a chalk and charcoal drawing depicting an incident on the 2nd July 1916 by Gilbert Holiday
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2MERCIAN soldiers on patrol in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, 2007 Soldiers of 2MERCIAN evacuating a casualty in Afghanistan, Op Herrick 6, 2007
in “Operation Herrick” the Regiment has sustained its own losses of 27 men.
Lieutenant Colonel (Retd) Mark Jackson, OBE, Chairman of the Museum Trustees, said “The Afghanistan campaign saw the most intense combat the British Army had faced since the Korean War over a period twice as long as the Second World War. We
should be very proud of the bravery and conduct of our local soldiers as they faced a determined and skilful enemy in a very hostile environment. The Mercian Regiment was the most heavily deployed Regiment in the Army during this campaign, in addition to those who laid down their lives, 32 received gallantry awards, including 9
Conspicuous Gallantry Crosses, 12 Military Crosses and 3 Queen’s Gallantry Medals. We hope that this new display will help the people of Worcestershire and beyond, who visit our museum to understand the realities of the Afghanistan campaign.”
THE MERCIAN EAGLE