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Thiepval Memorial to the Missing |
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Somme, France |


Click here to view many more images of the memorial and more images of those commemorated
| The Thiepval Memorial will be found on the D73, off the main Bapaume to
Albert road (D929). Each year a major ceremony is held at the memorial on 1
July.
On 1 July 1916, supported by a French attack to the south, thirteen divisions of Commonwealth forces launched an offensive on a line from north of Gommecourt to Maricourt. Despite a preliminary bombardment lasting seven days, the German defences were barely touched and the attack met unexpectedly fierce resistance. Losses were catastrophic and with only minimal advances on the southern flank, the initial attack was a failure. In the following weeks, huge resources of manpower and equipment were deployed in an attempt to exploit the modest successes of the first day. However, the German Army resisted tenaciously and repeated attacks and counter attacks meant a major battle for every village, copse and farmhouse gained. At the end of September, Thiepval was finally captured. The village had been an original objective of 1 July. Attacks north and east continued throughout October and into November in increasingly difficult weather conditions. The Battle of the Somme finally ended on 18 November with the onset of winter. In the spring of 1917, the German forces fell back to their newly prepared defences, the Hindenburg Line, and there were no further significant engagements in the Somme sector until the Germans mounted their major offensive in March 1918. The Thiepval Memorial, the Memorial to the Missing of the Somme, bears the names of more than 72,000 officers and men of the United Kingdom and South African forces who died in the Somme sector before 20 March 1918 and have no known grave. Over 90% of those commemorated died between July and November 1916. The memorial also serves as an Anglo-French Battle Memorial in recognition of the joint nature of the 1916 offensive and a small cemetery containing equal numbers of Commonwealth and French graves lies at the foot of the memorial. The memorial, designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, was built between 1928 and 1932 and unveiled by the Prince of Wales, in the presence of the President of France, on 31 July 1932. The dead of other Commonwealth countries who died on the Somme and have no known graves are commemorated on national memorials elsewhere.
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2782 Private Wilfrid Chaloner 1st/8th Bn. The King's (Liverpool) Regiment. Killed in action 08/08/1916. Aged 24. Son of Edward and M. E. Chaloner, of 118, Friargate, Preston, Lancs. Pier and Face 1 D 8 B and 8 C. Picture courtesy of John Garlington |

15149 Private
Titus Webb
2nd Bn. South Staffordshire Regiment.
Killed in action 29/07/1916.
Pier and face 7 B.
Titus enlisted in Wolverhampton and originally joined the 7th Bn. South Staffordshire Regiment, he eventually found his way into the 2nd Bn. He was married to Catherine and they had 3 young children, Jane, Mary and Kitty, Before the war he sold fish from a horse and cart and could often be seen around Wolverhampton shouting "Fish alive-O". Titus served in the Balkans and Gallipolli in 1915 and France and Flanders in 1916 where he was killed. His family received the 1914-15 star and the Victory and British War medals.
Picture courtesy of his great grandson Kevin Harris.
Second Lieutenant
Barry Robert Boncker
1st Bn. East Yorkshire Regiment, 01/07/1916,
aged 19.
Pier and Face 2C
Son of Frederic and Violet Boncker, of 35, Whitworth Rd., South Norwood, London.
9895 Corporal
Alfred George Greenhead
6th Bn. Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry, 16/08/1916, aged 23.
Son of Alfred George and Alice Maud Greenhead, of 71, Dennett Rd., West Croydon, Surrey.
Pier and Face 6B
5261 Rifleman
Horace Raymond Waterman
1st/16th Bn. London Regiment
(Queen's Westminster Rifles)
Killed in action near Vimy Ridge, 23/09/1916, aged 26.
Son of Horace and Janet Waterman, of 27, Grange Park Rd., Thornton Heath, Surrey; husband of Marjorie E. Wildish (formerly Waterman), of 19, Murray Rd., Frindsbury, Rochester, Kent.
Pier and Face 13C

2487 Corporal
Francis William Halliday MM.
9th Bn. East Surrey Regiment
Died of wounds 16/08/1916, aged 22.
Son of George Henry and Susan Halliday, of 12, Selhurst Rd., South Norwood, London.
Pier and Face 6B and 6C.
305400 Private
Alfred Thomas Richards
1st/8th Bn. Royal Warwickshire Regiment
Killed in action 01/07/1916, aged 33.
Husband of Frances Eleanor Hitchins (formerly Richards), of 88, Brearley St., Birmingham.
Pier and Face 9 A 9 B and 10 B.
Picture courtesy of Russell Gore

21524 Serjeant
John Burns
11th (S) Bn. South Wales Borderers (2nd Gwent)
Killed in action 07/07/1916, aged 22.
Pier and Face 4A
Picture courtesy of Russell Gore

290530 Private
Andrew Gove
"C" Coy. 7th Bn. Gordon Highlanders.
14/11/1916, aged 18
(actually 17)
Son of Munro and Bridget Watt Gove, of Scotston of Kirkside, St. Cyrus, Montrose, Forfarshire.
Pier and face 15B and 15C
Photo courtesy of Graham Luxford, great nephew of this soldier.
S/4553 Rifleman
Sydney Albert Dymond
13th Bn. Rifle Brigade
10/07/1916.
Pier and Face 16B and 16C
Sydney Albert Dymond. Born 1st May 1894 in Hendon, died, aged 21, 10th July 1916. Son of Thomas William Dymond and Grace Maud Dymond. Beloved husband to Elsie Dymond, he was married June 26th 1915 . Residence 69 Harlesden, Middlesex. He was the father of Grace Eva Mourd Dymond who was born 13/01/16 and who he never got to see but he was never forgotten. He fell whilst serving under the 34th Division on 10th July south of La Boisselle. The 13th Rifle Brigade found itself attacking from the old British front line at 8.45pm, not as part of a co-ordinated action but alone, they became the focus of every German machine gun and artillery piece in La Boisselle, due to a message reaching them to late. 20 officers and 380 other ranks were killed along with the companies second in command and the four company commanders.
Picture courtesy of Sean Doyle, Great Grandson of this soldier
16031 Private
Ernest James Saye
3rd Bn. Coldstream Guards
15/09/1916, aged 28.
Born 02 March 1888
to Walter and Sarah Saye, of Great Wigborough, Tolleshunt
D'Arcy, Essex. (Brother of Tommy Saye who is buried at
Lijssenthoek
Military Cemetery in Belgium. Follow link for an image of Tommy Saye.)
Killed in action on 15 September 1916 during the Battle of
Flers-Courcelette, when tanks were used for the first time in history.
Lost his life with fellow Guardsmen, at Les Boeufs.
Commemorated at
Tolleshunt D'Arcy Parish Church.
Remembered by Niece Pamela Brodie and Great Niece Heather Johnson.
Image courtesy of Heather Johnson
18942 Company Serjeant Major
John Burns
13th Bn. The King's (Liverpool Regiment)
16/08/1916.
He enlisted at Southport on 03/09/1914 and served in France from 1914 - 1916.
He was awarded the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal.
Picture courtesy of his granddaughter, Margaret Booth
G/12973 Serjeant
Richard Monty Daniel
7th Bn. The Buffs (East Kent Regiment)
26/10/1916.
Pier and Face 5 D
'Monty' joined the Royal East Kent Mounted Riles (a Yeomanry battalion) in 1909 whilst he was an apprentice shipwright at Chatham dockyard. By 1915 he had attained the rank of Sergeant and after the decimation of the Battle of the Somme in 1916 he volunteered to transfer to the 7th Buffs who had suffered many casualties in the battle. His young wife Jessie pleaded for him not to go as they had only recently been married in June 1916. However Monty felt it was his duty as a Sergeant to go. My grandfather William Daniel, who was 12 at the time, remembers him taking him to the local shop for sweets before he left for France in September 1916. Monty arrived in the front line on October 20th 1916. He took up position in the captured Fabeck Graben trench and was killed instantly by a German shell on the 26th October. A year later Jessie was still arguing with the army over her pension, as despite his rank of Sergeant in the REKMR, the army said that this rank had not been confirmed in the Buffs at the time of his death.
Picture and text courtesy of Peter Daniel
Second Lieutenant
Algernon Lawrence Berry
14th Bn. Attd. 8th Bn.
Royal Fusiliers
07/07/1916, aged 36.
Son of Henry and Caroline E. Berry, of 3, St. James's St., Piccadilly, London;
husband of Lilian May Berry, of 91, Foxley Lane, Purley, Surrey.
Pier and Face 8 C, 9 A and 16 A.

10871 Private
Charles Henry Arney
5th Bn. Dorsetshire Regiment
26/09/1916, aged 25.
Son of Henry and Emma Jane Arney, of Enmore Green, Shaftesbury, Dorset.
Pier and Face 7B.
Picture courtesy of Marlene Sayers, great niece of this soldier

18106 Serjeant
John Love
13th Bn. Royal Irish Rifles
01/07/1916, aged 30.
Son of Robert James and Rachel Love, of Scotch St., Downpatrick, Co. Down.
Pier and Face 15A and 15B.
Picture courtesy of Lorraine Rea, John Love was her husbands great-uncle

27479 Private
George Colclough
7th Bn. The Loyal North Lancashire Regiment
14/11/1916, aged 17.
Pier and Face 11A
George was the son of Private Joseph Colclough who died on 22nd November 1915, and is buried at Hedge Row Trench Cemetery, near Ypres, Belgium, and Ellen Colclough of Tunstall, Stoke on Trent Staffs, England and the elder brother of my father Thomas Colclough. He was 17, and went to war as a result of three girls from the same street as him sending him a white feather. They were never forgiven. He was only there a few weeks when he was killed. This war took my grandfather, two uncles, one great uncle and several of my father's cousins. Almost an entire generation from one family.
Picture courtesy of Valerie Mosel, nee Colclough, niece of this soldier.

991 Private
James Edward Randle
16th Bn. Royal Warwickshire Regiment
27/07/1916, aged 23.
Son of the late Henry James Randle and of Emma Randle (stepmother), of 5, Belmont St.,
Great Bridge Rd., Bilston, Staffordshire.
Pier and Face 9 A 9 B and 10 B.
Born in Bradley (Wolverhampton). Enlisted at Birmingham September 1914. An original Birmingham Pal.
Picture courtesy of Charlie Smith

17092 Corporal
Phillip Archibald Tatem
1st Bn. Lincolnshire Regiment
and Bermuda Volunteer Rifle Corps.
25/09/1916, aged 24.
Pier and face 1C
Oldest son of William Thomas Tatem and Emma Jessie Miles Tatem, born at Spanish Point, Pembroke, Bermuda 30 July 1892.
Very much loved and missed by his family.
Image courtesy of Sherri Panchaud Onarati

26661 Private
George Samuel Farmer
7th Bn. King's Shropshire Light Infantry
13/11/1916, aged 30.
Son of Charles Farmer, of 23A, Mill St., Ludlow, Salop.
Pier and Face 12 A and 12 D
Picture courtesy of Peter W. Bond, nephew of this soldier

5834 Private
Harry Herbert Freeman
1st/4th Oxford & Bucks Light Infantry
14/08/1916, aged 35.
Pier and Face 10A and 10D
Born in Akeley, Buckinghamshire.
He had been on active service for only a month at the time of his death in the vicinity of Ration Trench.
Son of George and Louisa Freeman (nee Herbert), of Greens Norton, Towcester, Northamptonshire. George was a gardener. They had five children: Alice Freeman (b. 1879), Harry Herbert Freeman (b. 1881), Arthur George Freeman (b. 1885), Horace Freeman (b. 1888), Ray Freeman (b. 1891)
Resident of Greens Norton, Northamptonshire, Enlisted at Bletchley, Buckinghamshire.
Picture and information courtesy of Bill & Hazel Howell (niece of Harry)

26478 Private
Francis Sidney Grover
18th Bn. Manchester Regiment
01/07/1916
Pier and Face 13A and 14C
Picture courtesy of Matthew Abel

5494 Private
Edward Greer
1st/19th Bn. London Regiment
29/09/1916, aged 22.
Son of Moses and Katherine Greer.
Pier and Face 9 D 9 C 13 C and 12 C.
Picture courtesy of great nephew Stephen Mooney

Private 17131
Samuel Marshall
1st Bn. King's Own (Royal Lancaster Regiment)
01/07/1916
Pier and Face 5 D and 12 B.
Picture courtesy of Jackie Marshall, great, great niece

19206 Private
Harry Twitchett
1st Bn. Essex Regiment
16/10/1916, aged 34.
Pier and Face 10D.
Son of James and Ellen (nee Prior) and grandson of George and Rebecca Twitchett and Thomas and Harriet Prior.
Harry was a stonemasons labourer and lived at 11 Chelmer Place with his wife Sarah who live to be in her 80's they had 5 children Doris, Leslie, Olive George and Gladys the eldest at 13 She was given permission to leave school early and went to work and helped bring up the other children, she lived to be 94 and put flowers on a memorial to her father every week.
Picture courtesy of Martyn Tamkin, son of Gladys

C/2552 Rifleman
George Revely
21st Bn. King's Royal Rifle Corps.
15/09/1916
Pier and Face 13A and 13B
Born George Revely on 05 Mar 1895 in Egglescliffe, Stockton on Tees, County Durham, he was the son of George and Jane Brownless Revely.
Joined the 21st Kings Royal Rifles. He had only been in France a short time when he was reported lost on 15th September 1916 at Flers, France.
The family owned a farm in North Yorkshire at the time of his enlistment, where he had worked since a boy. The farm is owned by my in-laws now. George moved there as a six year old and spent 15 years there before his death.
A memorial to him and others lost from their small North Yorkshire village is enshrined in St. Mary’s Church, Myton on Swale, North Yorkshire.
Picture courtesy of Stephanie and Thomas Revely, he was their great uncle

732 Lance Corporal
Edward Brown
13th Bn. Royal Irish Rifles
(Co. Down Volunteers)
01/07/1916, aged 20.
Pier and Face 15a and 15B
My Great Uncle Ed Brown was born at 32 Excise St., Belfast on 03/02/1896, later moving to Railway Street, Banbridge with his parents William Edward Brown and Agnes Brown and a number of brothers and sisters, including a younger brother Joseph and my grandmother Winifred. Following the outbreak of the war, Ed and his brother Joseph joined the 13th Battalion Royal Irish Rifles (Co. Down Volunteers) a battalion substantially formed from the ranks of the Ulster Volunteer Force in the area. Ed quickly rose to the rank of Lance Corporal.
At the battle of the Somme on the 1st of July 1916, the 13th Battalion attacked the northern side of the Schwaben Redoubt and suffered 595 casualties. Ed and sixteen fellow parishioners from Seapatrick Parish Church, Banbridge were killed during this first day of the battle. Ed has no known grave and is remembered on Pier and Face 15 A and 15 B of the Thiepval Memorial. Joseph survived the war and went on to live until his eightieth year. He rarely talked about his experiences.
Image courtesy of Raymond Glass, great nephew of Ed Brown

3656 Private
Alexander Teeling
23rd Bn. Royal Fusiliers
(City of London Regiment)
16/11/1916
Pier and Face 8 C 9 A and 16 A.
Picture courtesy of Dave Teeling

18061 Private
James Lambert Moorby
10th Bn. West Yorkshire Regiment
01/07/1916
Pier and Face 2 A 2 C and 2 D.
Picture courtesy of Peter Hartley

38140 Private
James Smallshaw
20th Bn. The King's (Liverpool Regiment)
12/10/1916, aged 26.
Pier and Face 1, D 8 B and 8C
Father of Ellen, Edith and James
Picture courtesy of Lance Smallshaw

4177 Lance Corporal
Wilfred Cubitt Spelman
"A" Coy. 1st Bn. Honourable Artillery Company
13/11/1916, aged 31.
Son of William and Ellen Mary Spelman, of 6, Thirsk Rd., Lavender Hill, London.
Pier and Face 8 A
Wilfred Cubitt Spelman was born at Richmond Surrey in 1885. He was admitted to the Honourable Artillery Company on 9th August 1915 and served in A (or No 1) Company of the 1st Battalion H. A. C. (Infantry) and left England for France as part of the 14th reinforcing draft on 5th January 1916
Below is a quote from his diary of 1916.
“Suffice to say that I am glad to have gone through it, but like a million and one others sincerely trust it will not be necessary again. Also an equally earnest hope that it is nearer the end than the beginning.”
Wilfred Spelman August 9th 1916
Picture courtesy of Ian Spelman

20321 Private
Harry Williams
15th Bn. Welsh Regiment
10/07/1916, aged 23.
Killed at Mametz Wood
Resident of 23 Ormerod Street, Bolton.
Picture courtesy of great nephew, Vince Collins

12286 Private
Thomas Culshaw Dodgson
15th Bn. Royal Warwickshire Regiment
03/09/1916, aged 27.
Son of Jane Dodgson, of Town Foot, Preesall, Fleetwood, Lancs., and the late John Dodgson, brother of John Dodgson.
Pier and Face 9 A 9 B and 10 B.
Picture courtesy of Steve Singleton

201088 Private
Edward White
1st/5th Bn. Sherwood Foresters, (Notts & Derby Regiment)
01/07/1916, aged 29.
Son of Edward White, of 4, Albion Place, Ilkeston; husband of Alice White, of 15, Albion Place, Ilkeston, Derbyshire.
Pier and Face 10 C 10 D and 11 A.
Picture courtesy of John Barker

42635 Private
Albert Edward Warner
1st Bn. Worcestershire Regiment
27/10/1916
Pier and Face 5 A and 6 C.
Son of Frederick and Mary Ann Warner. Married to Maude Garner and lived in North Mimms, Hertfordshire. Father of Albert Frederick Warner b. 1915 and never had the chance to get to know his father.
Forever in our thoughts from your Great Grandson Garry who has the honour of sharing his birthday on 8th May and will cherish the bible presented to you on your 21st birthday.

G/10501 Private
Alfred Ridgwell
1st Bn. Middlesex Regiment
15/07/1916
Pier and Face 12 D and 13 B.
Picture courtesy of grandson, Roy Ridgwell

12642 Corporal
Slaney Norman Jones
6th Bn. Royal Berkshire Regiment
01/07/1916, aged 20.
Pier and Face 11D
Slaney was born on July 28th 1895, whilst his parents lived at Prospect House, Lawley Bank, Shropshire, He had received a good education at Wellington Grammar school and had gone on to work for Lloyds Bank, He enlisted alongside his fellow workmate and best friend Percy Smith in September 1914.
Percy, L/Cpl 12488, 6th Battalion Royal Berkshire Regt was also killed on the 1st July 1916
Picture courtesy of Dave Shaw

200205 Corporal
Charles Freeman
1st/4th Bn. King's Shropshire Light Infantry
30/12/1917
Pier and Face 12A and 12D
Charles and his brother Sgt James Freeman MM. 200302, 1/4th KSLI were both KIA on the same day 30th December 1917 during the fighting for the Welsh Ridge near Cambrai it was only in death that they were separated as Charles body was never found and he is recorded on the Thiepval memorial Pier & Face 12A & 12D, James lies buried at Fifteen ravine Cemetery, grave II. D. 5.
Their sister Mrs W. Hawkins also lost her husband Pte W. H. Hawkins, 7179, 1st Battalion KSLI who died of wounds on June 27th 1915 leaving her a widow with 3 children.
Picture courtesy of Dave Shaw

22467 Private
James Watt
"B" Coy. 15th Bn. Highland Light Infantry
03/07/1916, aged 39.
Son of James Watt & Margaret Kerr. Husband of Janet Reid & father of Annie Reid Watt & James Watt. They lived at 96 Cardross Street, Dennistown, Glasgow.
Pier and Face 15C.
James is remembered by his family now living in South Africa and England.
Picture courtesy of Cuan James Gibson
305765 Private
Gideon Corbett
2nd/8th Bn. Sherwood Foresters
Notts and Derby Regiment
27/04/1917, aged 27.
Son of Noah and Helen Corbett, of 104, York St., Mansfield-Woodhouse, Notts; husband of Lucy Leivers (formerly Corbett) of 39, Deering St., Meadows, Nottingham.
Pier and Face 10C 10D and 11A
Pictures courtesy of Pete Stevens, great nephew.

Private 19491
Henry (Harry) Bowman
2nd Bn. Yorkshire Regiment
23/07/1916
Pier and Face 3A and 3D
Son of Arthur George and Betsy Bowman, husband of Florence, father of Nora, Ethel, Eva, Sarah Ann and Henry
Picture courtesy of granddaughter, Susan Guilford Bowman
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