France day 1

0720 hrs(moved ahead 1 hr), arrived in France, made our way to a Town called Albert, and then to the "SommesWar Musuem". After the museum we went to differnt part of the region where historic fighting had taken place during both WWI and WWII. Lots of war memorials, sad to see all the grave sights, and to think that the land we walk on was once a battle field.
Richards Dad was in the war, and survived, passed away a few years back. Richard spread some of his Dad'd ashes here, a sad moment for all of us.

Battle of the Somme

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"The Somme" redirects here. For the region, see Somme.

For other meanings, see Battle of the Somme (disambiguation).

The examples and perspective in this article deal primarily with the United Kingdom and do not represent a worldwide view of the subject. Please improve this article and discuss the issue on the talk page. (December 2011)

Somme Offensive
Part of the Western Front of the First World War
Men of the 11th battalion The Cheshire Regiment, near La Boisselle July 1916. Photo by Ernest Brooks.
Date 1 July – 18 November 1916 Location Somme River, north-central Somme and southeastern Pas-de-Calais Départements, France Result Indecisive; German Army withdraws 40 miles (64 km) to the Hindenburg Line in February – March 1917[1] Tactical and strategic effects favourable to Allies[2][3][4]
Belligerents
United Kingdom France Canada Newfoundland Australia New Zealand South Africa India	German Empire
Commanders and leaders
Douglas Haig Ferdinand Foch	Max von Gallwitz Fritz von Below
Strength
13 British and 11 French divisions totaling 280,000 men (initial) 51 British and 48 French divisions totaling 1,200,000 men (final)	10½ divisions totaling 260,000 men (initial) 50 divisions totaling 1,375,000 men (final)
Casualties and losses
623,907 casualties 782 aircraft lost[5]	465,000 men,[6] other credible estimates of c. 400,000 - c. 500,000, see article

[show] v t e Battle of the Somme Main battles Albert Bazentin Ridge Delville Wood Pozières Ridge Guillemont Ginchy Flers-Courcelette Morval Thiepval Ridge Transloy Ridges Ancre Heights Ancre Other engagements Montauban Mametz Fricourt Contalmaison la Boiselle Gommecourt Longueval Trônes Wood Ovillers Fromelles High Wood Mouquet Farm Martinpuich Combles– Lesboeufs Gueudecourt Eaucourt l'Abbaye le Sars Butte de Warlencourt– Schwaben Redoubt Stuff Redoubts Regina Trench Beaumont Hamel Order of Battle

[show] v t e Western Front Liège Frontiers 1st Marne Antwerp Race to the Sea 1st Ypres 1st Champagne 2nd Ypres 2nd Artois 2nd Champagne Loos 3rd Artois Verdun Somme Arras 2nd Aisne Messines 3rd Ypres Cambrai Spring Hundred Days

The Battle of the Somme (French: Bataille de la Somme, German: Schlacht an der Somme), also known as the Somme Offensive, took place during the First World War between 1 July and 18 November 1916 on either side of the river Somme in France. The battle saw the British Army, supported by contingents from British imperial territories, including Australia, New Zealand, Newfoundland, Canada, India and South Africa, mount a joint offensive with the French Army against the German Army, which had occupied large areas of France since its invasion of the country in August 1914. The Battle of the Somme was one of the largest battles of the war; by the time fighting paused in late autumn 1916, the forces involved had suffered more than 1 million casualties, making it one of the bloodiest military operations ever recorded.
The plan for the Somme offensive evolved out of Allied strategic discussions at Chantilly, Oise in December 1915. Chaired by General Joseph Joffre, the commander-in-chief of the French Army, Allied representatives agreed on a concerted offensive against the Central Powers in 1916 by the French, British, Italian and Russian armies. The Somme offensive was to be the Anglo-French contribution to this general offensive and was intended to create a rupture in the German line which could then be exploited with a decisive blow. With the German attack on Verdun on the River Meuse in February 1916, the Allies were forced to adapt their plans. The British Army took the lead on the Somme, though the French contribution remained significant.
The opening day of the battle saw the British Army suffer the worst day in its history, sustaining nearly 60,000 casualties. Because of the composition of the British Army, at this point a volunteer force with many battalions comprising men from particular localities, these losses (and those of the campaign as a whole) had a profound social impact. The battle is also remembered for the first use of the tank. At the end of the battle, British and French forces had penetrated 6 miles (9.7 km) into German occupied territory, with the British Army still three miles (5 km) from Bapaume, a major objective. The German Army maintained its frontline over the winter of 1916-17, before withdrawing from the Somme battlefield in February 1917 to the fortified Hindenburg Line.
The conduct of the battle has been a source of controversy: senior officers such as General Sir Douglas Haig, the commander of the British Expeditionary Force and Henry Rawlinson, the commander of Fourth Army, have been criticised for incurring very severe casualties while failing to achieve their territorial objectives. Other historians have portrayed the Somme as a preliminary to the defeat of the German Army and one which taught the British Army tactical and operational lessons.