Page 31 - History of War - Issue 30-16

THE SOMME: 1916–2016

BATTLEFIELD

ARTEFACTS WORDS PETER DOYLE

Writer, historian and archaeologist Peter Doyle presents some
incredible artefacts that survived the battleield

LIVERPOOL PALS TANK MASK
BADGE The tank, a British invention of 1915, was
This battalion was born on the designed to cross trenches of at least 2.6
initiative of Lord Derby, who metres wide, and was irst deployed in the
introduced the notion that latter stages of the Somme. They were hot,
men of the ‘commercial crowded and dangerous at the best of
classes’ might wish to serve times, so crews were issued with leather
their country in a battalion of helmets to protect their cranium. Chain
their comrades. Lord Derby took a mail masks protected their faces and
personal interest in his ‘pals’, issuing to eyes from shards of metal caused by
each one a silver badge bearing his arms. bullet strikes on the machine’s body.
Edward Cole of Bootle wore this one;
his brother Stanley was killed on the SHELL SHARDS
Somme on 30 July 1916, ‘Liverpool’s For trench destruction, as well
blackest day’.
as for demolishing dugouts and
other shelters, high-explosive
BARBED WIRE shells were needed. Such shells
This has become as much a delivered a huge explosive force,
metaphor for the suffering of World while the exploded shell wall
War I as trenches and gas. This created a high-velocity shower
twisted, rusty sample is German, and of shell splinters, like these, over
came from Gommecourt, the scene of 12-inches long, from the Ypres
an ill-fated diversionary attack by the Salient. With the Germans occupying
British 56th and 46th Divisions on 1 deep dugouts on the Somme, such
July 1916. The attack left over 2,000 high explosives were much needed
men dead, i ve times that suffered by – though less common than the
the German defenders – the barbed shrapnel shell.
wire played its part.

TYNESIDE SCOTTISH CAP
This cap belonged to Second Lieutenant
Gilbert Watt Sandeman of the 1st
Tyneside Scottish; on the irst day
of the Battle of the Somme, 1 July
1916, the Tyneside Scots were Peter Doyle’s best-
opposite the fortiied village of La selling book, The First
Boisselle. Completely in the open, the World War in 100
advancing Tynesiders were caught in a Objects (The History
deadly crossire. The 1st Tyneside Scottish Press) appears in Images: Peter Doyle
lost 584 men: Sandeman was one of the paperback edition
fortunate ones. later this year.

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