Page 282 - The Rifles Bugle Autumn 2019

DLI Association BFT to the Somme and Bus-Les-Artois
Six members of the DLI Association visited Bus-les-Artois on 29 June to 1 July 2019. They were LT Col John Heron, Majors Paul Wharton, Chris Lawton and Mike van der Gucht, Captain Richy Tough and Dennis Grubb.
We set off at 0600 hrs Saturday 29 June and, after picking Major Wharton up at a Service area on the M20 arrived in Dover and caught an earlier ferry and had a very calm voyage.
This gave time to drive to Auchonvillers, via the site of the Battle of Crecy 1346, which was well worth a visit, and a chance to stretch our legs. By this time it was very hot, 37°C, the air conditioning was working overtime.
We arrived Auchonvillers and to Avril Williams ‘Ocean Villas’, where we were made most welcome, in time for supper and a sherbert or two.
The following morning, Sunday 30th June, as we were preparing to visit the Battlefield, some volun- teers of the Hawthorne Ridge Crater arrived, and after introductions were invited to visit them if we wanted to. So with that in mind, we set off to where the 18 DLI (Durham Pals) Bn. attacked the Germans on the 1st July 1916, in the area of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John Copses, followed by the farmer who wanted us to stick to the track, which we obviously intended to do anyway.
D Coy 18 DLI had been detached to 16 W Yorkshire Bn (Bradford Pals) for the attack. Due to the mine at Hawthorn Ridge being blown 10 minutes before H hr at 07:30 hrs, the Germans were alerted and poured devastating artillery fire onto the British positions, resulting in many casualties before anyone climbed out of their trenches. Few got very far but the Durham Pals D Company did and were last seen well into the German lines at Pendant Wood.
We spent some time there and got a feel for the lie of the land, and it wasn’t difficult to imagine the conditions on that July morning 103 years ago, with the British Infantry attacking uphill into no-mans land 100-200 yards away on top of an almost impercep- tible ridge. But those few feet difference in height gave the Germans a commanding view of the ground.
From there we moved off, followed by the farmer across the road and up a minor road to Munich Trench. The trouble of visiting the Somme in early summer is that with the standing crops there is very little to see on the battle field except CWGC Cemeteries at Redan Ridge, so we drove on into Beaumont-Hamel and the Sunken Lane, and the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders Memorial, which we visited. We then walked to Hawthorn Ridge Crater where we met Andy Robertshaw, of the Hawthorn Ridge Crater Association whom we had met earlier at Ocean Villas. It turned out that Chris had met him in Durham on one of his talks, and so were given a private tour of the crater.
It was explained to us where the geology changed from the existing to the contaminated ground from the spoil thrown out by the explosion. They had had soil samples taken and analysed, and it was ascertained that the spoil was heavily contami- nated by lead, mercury and other components of the Ammanol explosive used for the mine. To get
WE SPENT SOME TIME THERE AND
GOT A FEEL FOR THE LIE OF THE LAND, AND IT WASN’T DIFFICULT TO IMAGINE THE CONDITIONS ON THAT JULY MORNING 103 YEARS AGO, WITH THE BRITISH INFANTRY ATTACKING UPHILL INTO NO-MANS LAND 100 – 200 YARDS AWAY
a view and explanation go to YouTube and “What’s happening at Hawthorn Ridge crater”.
The Hawthorn Ridge Crater Association had worked with five French farmers, each of whom owned a portion of the crater, and had been convinced that tourists had damaged their crops around the lip of the crater, but the Association was able to show from the analysis that that was not the case, but the contaminated soil. The Farmers had been very helpful and generous with their time clearing scrub etc. The intention is to thin out the dead wood, leaving healthy trees there as many visitors had expressed opinions that the effect of the trees was reminiscent of the explosion.
After our tour we drove on to Thiepval via the Newfoundland Park and spent some time cleaning the DLI Seat, making a note that on future visits we need to take a bucket, brush etc to clean up DLI memorials.
We took the opportunity to visit Butterworth Farm and ‘touch base’ with the owner. Apparently they are not holding their Butterworth Festival this year but hope to next year. So after an exchange of contact details we drove onto Fricourt and 15 DLIs area of operation, stopping at the German War Cemetery, comparing their style to the CWGC cemeteries.
From there we drove onto Mametz to the civilian cemetery and the location of the shrine, which was the site of a German MG position that commanded the ground that 9 Devons were to advance over.
In preparing for the attack, Captain Duncan Leonard Martin, OC ‘A’ Coy 9 Devons’ had made a
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The trees growing in the crater resembles the actual explosion of 1916
Major Paul Wharton relaxes on the DLI Memorial Seat at Thiepval