SNAPE REMEMBERS THE SOMME

Originally posted on 15th June, 2016

At 7.30am on the morning of July 1st 1916 the initial attacks were launched in what would become known as “The Battle of the Somme”.  The battle would last until 18th November 1916, and in those [141] days there were nearly [420,000] Commonwealth, [over 204,000 French] and [perhaps] 540,000 German casualties.  [Killed and missing within those figures were 95, 50 and 164 thousand respectively.] 

The Snape memorial remembers 30 local men who gave their lives for our freedom in the First World War.  Of those 30, nine died in the Battle of the Somme.  Their names, and the dates they fell, are recorded below.

To commemorate the anniversary of the start of the Battle, members of the Snape and Farnham Branch of the Royal British Legion sounded a series of whistle signals through the village at 7.30am on Friday 1st July 2016, the time the whistles sounded for the men to go ‘over the top’.

Please take a moment to consider the thoughts and feelings of those who heard it in their trenches 100 years ago,
and remember their sacrifice for our freedom.

 

Fredrick Bone Daniel Gant William Berry  

 

Fredrick   Bone Private 20211 7th Battalion Suffolk Regiment 3rd July 1916
Nelson   Ridgeon Private 3/10008 8th Battalion Suffolk Regiment 18th July 1916
Daniel   Gant Private 3297 4th Battalion Suffolk Regiment 20th July 1916
William Robert   Haile Private 3324 4th Battalion Suffolk Regiment 28th July 1916
John   Smith Private 18702 4th Battalion Suffolk Regiment 18th August 1916
Alfred   Smith Private 13367 9th Battalion Suffolk Regiment 13th September 1916
Harry James   Last Rifleman 302072 1st/5th Battalion London Regiment 9th October 1916
Herbert   Hudson Private 14492 8th Battalion Suffolk Regiment 4th November 1916
William Charles Russell   Berry Corporal 14225 2nd Battalion Suffolk Regiment 13th November 1916
               
[The count of days and casualty totals have been adjusted by reference to Wikipedia]