The Battle of the Somme: History of the Somme Battlefields

The Battle of the Somme ran from 1 July to 18 November 1916. It was a joint British and French attack, and it cost over a million casualties on both sides. This is the battle told through the ground you will walk. When you book a Somme Battlefields tour, these are the stories your guide tells you in the fields.

Why the Allies attacked on the Somme

In December 1915, the Allied commanders agreed on a joint attack by the River Somme for the summer of 1916. They chose it because it was where the French and British lines met. Then the German attack at Verdun in February 1916 drew in the French army, and Britain took the lead.

Many of the men were Kitchener's volunteers, the "Pals" battalions of friends and workmates from the same towns. The Somme was the first battle in which Britain's new volunteer army took the leading role. Sir Douglas Haig directed it, with Sir Henry Rawlinson's Fourth Army attacking on the first day.

1 July 1916: the first day

A seven-day bombardment began on 24 June and fired over 1.5 million shells. It was meant to cut the wire and destroy the German dugouts. In most places it did neither. At 7:28 am the mines went up, Lochnagar Crater among them, and at 7:30 am the infantry climbed out.

German machine-gunners came up from shelters the shells had not reached. The first day cost 57,470 British casualties, 19,240 of them killed. It remains the bloodiest day in British military history. The only real gains came in the south, where the 7th Division took Mametz.

The Newfoundlanders at Beaumont-Hamel

The Newfoundland Regiment attacked with the 29th Division on 1 July, near the village of Beaumont-Hamel. Newfoundland was then a separate dominion: it only joined Canada in 1949. The regiment was almost wiped out in the early stages of the battle.

In Newfoundland and Labrador, 1 July is still Memorial Day. The park at Beaumont-Hamel keeps the trenches they attacked from, and its caribou faces the old German line.

Delville Wood, Pozières and the summer battles

On 14 July a dawn attack took the German line between Longueval and Bazentin-le-Petit. The Germans in Delville Wood held out until 27 August. In July, the 1st South African Infantry Brigade fought there, and the wood is now South Africa's national memorial.

From 23 July, the Australians fought for Pozières. In almost six weeks they suffered almost 23,000 casualties, 6,900 of them killed. Their official historian, Charles Bean, wrote that Pozières was "more deeply sown with Australian sacrifice than any other place on earth".

On 15 September, tanks went into battle for the first time. Of 49 available, 36 reached their start points. Flers fell, and the Canadian Corps took Courcelette.

141 days: autumn and the end in the mud

On 26 September the Reserve Army attacked the Thiepval Ridge. Thiepval and Mouquet Farm fell, but the fighting for the Schwaben Redoubt went on to 14 October. The Canadians fought for Regina Trench until 10 November, while rain turned the ground into a quagmire.

The last attack came astride the Ancre from 13 November. The 51st (Highland) Division took Beaumont-Hamel at last. By then the British had gained a strip about 10 km deep and 32 km wide, and Bapaume was still 5 km away.

1918: Villers-Bretonneux and the road to Amiens

In April 1918 the war came back to the Somme. German troops took Villers-Bretonneux on 24 April. The 13th and 15th Australian Brigades counter-attacked, and on Anzac Day, 25 April, the town was retaken. This is why the Australian National Memorial stands on the hill above it.

That summer, John Monash planned the battles of Le Hamel and Amiens from his headquarters at Bertangles, and George V knighted him there on 12 August 1918. From 31 August, the 2nd Australian Division took Mont Saint-Quentin above Péronne.

The battle in dates, and where you stand today

Read down this table and you have the order your guide will tell it in. The right-hand column is the place you stand for each date.

Tours that follow the story you came for

Half a Day Private Battle of the Somme Tour from Albert

Four hours on the 1916 front for your party alone, from the museum in Albert to Lochnagar, Thiepval and the Newfoundland trenches.

From $301 per group, up to 3

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Full-Day Private WW1 Australian Battlefield Day Tour from Amiens

The Australian story from your Amiens hotel: Pozières, Le Hamel, Villers-Bretonneux and the Sir John Monash Centre, museum entry included.

From $324 per person

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Private Canadian WW1 Vimy & Somme Battlefield Tour from Arras or Lille

Vimy Ridge, Courcelette and Beaumont-Hamel, with the Canadian story told on the ground and lunch included.

From $654 per person

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Memorials to the missing

"Missing" means a man who has no known grave. On the Somme there are tens of thousands. The Thiepval Memorial carries more than 72,000 names of British and South African men. It was unveiled on 1 August 1932 by the Prince of Wales.

More than 18,000 Australians are still missing in France and Belgium. Beaumont-Hamel carries 820 Newfoundland names. The Ulster Tower, dedicated in 1921, was the first official memorial on the Western Front. If you are looking for one name, a private guide can research it before your day: the visitor guide sets out what to bring.

Frequently asked about the battle

Where these facts come from

Every hour, fee and date here comes from the body that runs the site. Hours move with the season, so check yours before you travel.

• Imperial War Museums: what happened during the Battle of the Somme
• CWGC: Thiepval Memorial
• Veterans Affairs Canada: Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial
• Sir John Monash Centre: the 110th anniversary of the Somme
• Delville Wood: access rules
• Somme Association: the Ulster Memorial Tower
• Lochnagar Crater: visitor information