FantasyIreland
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- 29 Oct 2008
- Messages
- 64,708
Its mind blowing and so incredibly sad to think what those poor men and their families went through.Even though your Great Grandad made it home,i suspect he lost many good friends and that would have stuck with him to his final days.My Great Grandad was shot and injured on the first day of The Battle Of The Somme and he had to come home and his war ended.
He was one of the lucky ones. Crazy to think if he would of stayed at The Somme there was a very good chance he would of never of made it home and i wouldn't be here
Its mind blowing and so incredibly sad to think what those poor men and their families went through.Even though your Great Grandad made it home,i suspect he lost many good friends and that would have stuck with him to his final days.
Very few who witnessed the horrors of that period talked about their experiences,i imagine it was just too difficult and,in those days,obviously there would have been no support/help.He was born in 1898 and died in 1980 i was only 4 when he died so i have very vague memories of him but my dad and grandad said he never talked about what he saw that day. It must of been horrific. Over 19,000 British Troops died on that day 1st July 1916 for what?. 2 and a half square miles of France.
It also been mentioned that Haig and his Marshalls know how heavily fortified the Germans were and even after the bombardment before the battle there were reports it did very little damage to The Germans but Haig sent them over the top anyway. Unbelievable
Very few who witnessed the horrors of that period talked about their experiences,i imagine it was just too difficult and,in those days,obviously there would have been no support/help.
Every time i watch footage of troops leaving the trenches and running head on into fairly certain death,i just sit there in complete bewilderment and sorrow - such a fucking waste and so incredibly mindless.