In the footsteps of HEROES!

Service Details

George Sherwin enlisted into the Special Reserve at Bourne on 30th August 1914 having previously served in F Company, 4th Battalion Lincolnshire Regiment. He was 23 years old when he enlisted.

George was posted to Depot on 2nd September 1914 and assigned to the 6th Battalion Lincolnshire Regiment for training on the 9th. He was subsequently posted to the 3rd Battalion on 29th January 1915 before being sent overseas. George embarked for France on 6th March 1915 and joined the 2nd Battalion Lincolnshire Regiment on 9th March 1915.

He would have fought with the 2nd Lincolnshires at Fromelles on 15th March 1915 and Bois Grenier on 25th September 1915, before being posted missing, presumed killed in action, on 1st July 1916.

The 2nd Battalion, the Lincolnshire Regiment was assigned to the 25th Brigade which formed part of the 8th Division.

The 8th Division on the First Day of the Somme 1916

For the attack on 1st July 1916 Major-General Sir Havelock Hudson’s 8th Division was assigned to Lieutenant-General Sir William Pulteney’s III Corps in the centre of the British line opposite Ovillers-la-Boisselle. To their right was the 34th Division in the area of La-Boisselle and to their left the 32nd Division facing the Leipzig Redoubt east of Authuille on the Thiepval Heights. The ground assigned to these two flanking Divisions dominate that to be crossed by the 8th Division and thus any chance of success that Major-General Hudson’s Division had relied greatly on the ability of these two Divisions to secure their objectives.

Major-General Hudson deployed Brigadier-General Herbert Gordon’s 70th Brigade on the left, Brigadier-General John Hawkins Whitshed Pollard’s 25th Brigade in the centre and Brigadier-General Harry Denison Tuson’s 23rd Brigade on the right.

Brigadier-General Gordon deployed the Battalions of his 70th Brigade with the 8th York and Lancasters commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel M L Hornby forward left and the 8th King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel H E Trevor forward right. Lieutenant-Colonel A J B Addison’s 9th York and Lancasters was in support and Lieutenant-Colonel Harold Farnell Watson’s 11th Sherwood Foresters was in reserve.

Brigadier-General Pollard deployed the Battalions of his 25th Brigade with the 2nd Lincolnshires commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Reginald Bastard forward left and the 2nd Royal Berkshires commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Arthur Mervin Holdsworth forward right. Lieutenant-Colonel R A C Daunt’s 1st Royal Irish Rifles was in support and Lieutenant-Colonel R Brand’s 2nd Rifle Brigade was in reserve.

Brigadier-General Tuson deployed the Battalions of his 23rd Brigade with the 2nd Devonshires commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Alfred Joseph Elton Sunderland forward left and the 2nd Middlesex commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Edwin Thomas Falkner Sandys forward right. Lieutenant-Colonel Leighton Hume-Spry’s 2nd West Yorkshires was in support and Lieutenant-Colonel Vincent Corbett Sandilands’ 2nd Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) was in reserve.

In the early morning mist of what promised to be a fine day, the Battalions of the 8th Division waited in their assembly positions for the appointed hour. At 6:25 am the preliminary bombardment took on a new violence as its rained shells down on the enemy lines. At 7:22 am the Stokes Mortars of the Division added to this crescendo hurling their rounds upon the enemy’s frontline in a hurricane bombardment. At 7:28 am the mines near La Boisselle erupted forth spewing earth high into the sky heralding the infantry attack that was about to unfold.

The 70th Brigade, on the left and north of the village below the heights of Thiepval, assaulted down the sunken road called ‘The Nab’ where the preparatory bombardment had completely cut the enemy’s wire. At 7:30 am the two assaulting Battalions dashed forward to cross the gap of No Man’s Land and were in the German frontline trenches within minutes. The enemy’s counter-fire was comparatively light during this period and these two Battalions sustained relatively few casualties. On the extreme left, intense machine-gun fire prevented any further penetration. In the centre and towards the right the two assaulting Battalions soon entered the enemy’s support lines and reserve lines in considerable numbers.

At the same time as the two leading Battalions assaulted, the 9th York and Lancasters moved forward in support to take up position in the vacated British assembly trenches. As they did so the enemy artillery opened fire with an intense barrage on the British forward area that causes heavy casualties within this supporting Battalion.

In the enemy’s lines the men of the 8th York and Lancasters and 8th King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry clashed with the defending German soldiers and a fierce close quarter battle ensued resulting in the enemy’s trench changing hands several times. As this seesaw battle progressed the 25th Brigade to their right was forced backwards onto their own frontline at about 8:30 am. Shortly thereafter the 8th King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry also began to retire in the mistaken belief that an order to withdraw had been given. This Battalion with a number of the 2nd Lincolnshires fell back upon their own parapet where the supporting companies of the 9th York and Lancasters had just arrived. Sever machine-gun fire now whipped across No Man’s Land and the British assembly trenches.

The 9th York and Lancasters pressed forward and together with the soldiers that had so recently retired advanced to rejoin the 8th York and Lancasters in the enemy’s lines. In the centre they advanced into the German support line whilst on the right they managed to regain a foothold in the enemy’s frontline.

The 11th Sherwood Foresters moved up to the assembly trenches in readiness as required. Lieutenant-Colonel Watson was ordered to move forward and consolidate the first German trench. The machine-gun fire from the Thiepval Heights was by now so fierce that the men could not go forward at anything more than a crawl. As the first two waves of his Battalion crawled across No Man’s Land, Lieutenant-Colonel Watson took his Battalion Headquarters forward. Walking diagonally across the battlefield Lieutenant-Colonel Watson and his Battalion officers installed a fresh impetus to the attack, but this petered out short of the German line as the Colonel and officers with him fell wounded.

By 10:00 am all of the 70th Brigade’s Battalions had gone forward and except for around 100 men of the 9th York and Lancasters who had been pinned back in their own lines on the extreme left, the British forward trenches were empty.

The 25th Brigade, in the centre opposite Ovillers, assaulted across the open fields of No Man’s Land with three Companies up in each assaulting Battalion. The 2nd Lincolnshires got their first two waves over the parapet shortly before H-Hour and the third and fourth followed as the artillery barrage lifted. Although heavy casualties resulted due to machine-gun fire from the left and rifle fire coming from the German support line, they advanced in good order and were soon entering the enemy’s frontline. Here they were met by the German soldiers who were erupting from the shelter of the cellars of the fortified village. In the heavy fighting that ensued, the 2nd Lincolnshires managed to seize around 200-yards of the enemy’s trench. The supporting Company of the 2nd Lincolnshires suffered heavily as they crossed the shell torn expanse of No Man’s Land and soon joined their comrades in the fight where the few remaining officers led the remnants of the Battalion onwards towards the German support line. In the face of an increasing crescendo of German rifle and machine-gun fire they failed to enter this second line and began to consolidate their gains in the enemy’s frontline. The Germans subsequently mounted a counter-attack from their support line but this was repulsed.

It soon became evident that, in the face of the intense rifle fire from the German second line, machine-gun fire from the left flank, continual bombing by the enemy and a continued lack of support, the remnants of the 2nd Lincolnshires were not going to be able to hold on. In an effort to obtain additional support Lieutenant-Colonel Reginald Bastard crossed No Man’s Land on at least four occasions rally his men and trying to get additional forces forward. By 8:30 am however, the 2nd Lincolnshires were forced to fall back on their own frontline as best they could.

On the right of the 25th Brigade’s front the 2nd Royal Berkshires were met by intense rifle and machine-gun fire as soon as they climbed out of their assembly trenches to begin their assault. Only a small party on the left of that Battalion’s frontage managed to gain the enemy’s frontline, but they proved too few in number and were soon bombed out. Lieutenant-Colonel Holdsworth and his second-in-command Major G H Sawyer both wounded and the Acting Adjutant, Second-Lieutenant C Mollet, assumed command of the Battalion. By 9:00 am they had lost too many of their number to renew the assault and their available fighting strength had dwindled to little more that about half of a Company.

Lieutenant-Colonel Bastard attempted to get the assault going again and rallied the remnants of these two Battalions. These he pushed forward with two Companies of the 1st Royal Irish Rifles. They press forward into the hailstorm of lead that swept across the battlefield from the German machine-guns on the flanks and enemy rifle fire from the front. By 10:00 am he reported that with only 30 available men fit to fight any further progress was impossible.

The remaining two Companies of the 1st Royal Irish Rifles and the 2nd Rifle Brigade were by now waiting in the British lines in readiness, where they too under the intense German bombardment were taking casualties.

The 23rd Brigade, on the right below the bank that ran alongside of La Boisselle, pushed their two assaulting Battalions forward from their assembly trenches shortly before H-Hour. As the barrage lifted the infantrymen of the two assaulting Battalions went forward in waves towards the village. Despite the heavy British bombardment, the German machine-gunners entrenched along the La Boisselle bank flashed their deadly fire across the ranks of the British infantrymen as they advanced. The first waves of the 2nd Middlesex and 2nd Devonshires were torn to pieces by this hail of lead. The succeeding waves doubled forward into the caldron and by the time they approached the enemy’s frontline any semblance of order had ceased to exist.

Around 200 of the Middlesex managed to reach the enemy’s frontline which they passed over to attack the support line. In the short fight that followed their number rapidly decreased and they were forced back on the enemy’s front trenches. Here they attempted to consolidate under the command of Major H B W Savile.

Few of the 2nd Devonshires reached the enemy’s lines and that those did were soon overwhelmed by the German soldiers emerging from the fortified cellars of Ovillers.

The forward Battalions were reinforced by the 2nd West Yorkshires, but the combined force of the remnants of all three Battalions were pushed out of the enemy’s frontline and they had to take shelter in the shell-holes of No Man’s Land. Those that tried to regain their own lines in daylight were sniped and so the survivors had to wait for the darkness to descend before attempting to make their way back.

The 2nd Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) who had moved forward into the assembly trenches when the 2nd West Yorkshires had gone forward were ordered to remain in these trenches whilst the situation was evaluated. Here, under the intense German artillery barrage, they too were taking casualties.

Attempts were made to get the stalled assault moving again, but with the protective fire of the British artillery gone the Germans on either flank and in their depth positions were free to harry our troops at will. It thus became increasingly evident that without a renewed artillery barrage nothing further could be achieve. Brigadier-General Tuson and Brigadier-General Pollard liaised to make arrangements to coordinate this, but as the day wore on it seemed clear that further efforts would be fruitless.

In view of all of the circumstance Lieutenant-General Pulteney cancelled his orders for a renewed assault and ordered the 56th Infantry Brigade from the 19th (Western) Division to hold the frontline whilst the 8th Division reorganised. This was however found to be unnecessary and they were held in support, the frontline being manned by the remaining units of the 8th Division.

At around 7:00 pm orders were received that the 8th Division was to be relieved by the 12th Division. This relief took place during the night of 1st/2nd July 1916 with the 2nd Lincolnshires being relieved at midnight by the 6th West Kents.

The 8th Division was one of the worst hit of the 16 Assaulting Divisions that took part on 1st July 1916. Of about 300 officers and 8000 men, they lost 189 officers and 4,719 men dead or wounded, of whom almost 2,000 were killed outright. In the 25th Brigade, the casualty figures for 1st July 1916 stated in terms of percentages were: -

The 2nd Battalion, the Lincolnshire Regiment lost 21 Officers and 450 Other Ranks. One of these casualties was 11059 Private George Sherwin.

The following is an account by a German Officer that describes the battle:

“The intense bombardment was realized by all to be the prelude to an infantry assault sooner or later. The men in the dugouts therefore waited ready, belt full of hand-grenades around them, gripping their rifles and listening for the bombardment to lift from the front defence zone on to the rear defences. It was of vital importance to lose not a second in taking up position in the open to meet the British infantry which would advance immediately behind the artillery barrage. Looking towards the British trenches through the long trench periscopes held up out of the dugout entrances there could be seen a mass of steel helmets above the parapet showing that the storm troops were ready for the assault.

At 7:30 am the hurricane of shells ceased as suddenly as it had begun. Our men at once clambered up the steep shafts leading from the dugouts to daylight and ran singly or in groups to the nearest shell craters. The machine-guns were pulled out of the dugouts and hurriedly placed in position, their crews dragging the heavy ammunition boxes up the steps and out to the guns. A rough firing line was thus rapidly established.

As soon as the men were in position, a series of extended lines of infantry were seen moving forward from the British trenches. The first line appeared to continue without end to right and left. It was quickly followed by a second, then a third and fourth. They came on at a steady easy pace as if expecting to find nothing alive in our front trenches… The front line, preceded by a thin line of skirmishers and bombers, was now half-way across No Man's Land.

‘Get ready’ was passed along our front from crater to crater, and heads appeared over the crater edges as final positions were taken up for the best view, and machine-guns mounted firmly in place. A few minutes later, when the leading British line was within a hundred yards, the rattle of machine-gun and rifle broke out along the whole line of shell holes. Some fired kneeling so as to get a better target over the broken ground, whilst others, in the excitement of the moment, stood up regardless of their own safety, to fire into the crowd of men in front of them. Red rockets sped up into the blue sky as a signal to the artillery, and immediately afterwards a mass of shells from the German Batteries in the rear tore through the air and burst among the advancing lines. Whole sections seemed to fall, and the rear formations, moving in close order, quickly scattered.

The advance rapidly crumbled under this hail of shells and bullets. All along the line men could be seen throwing up their arms and collapsing, never to move again. Badly wounded rolled about in their agony, and others, less severely injured, crawled to the nearest shell hole for shelter.

The British soldier, however, has no lack of courage, and once his hand is set to the plough, he is not easily turned from his purpose. The extended lines, though badly shaken and with many gaps, now came on all the faster. Instead of a leisurely walk they covered the ground in short rushes at the double. Within a few minutes the leading troops had advanced to within a stone's throw of our front trench, and while some of us continued to fire at point-blank range, others threw hand grenades among them. The British bombers answered back, whilst the infantry rushed forward with fixed bayonets.

The noise of battle became indescribable. The shouting of orders and the shrill cheers as the British charged forward could be heard above the violent and intense fusillade of machine-guns and rifles and bursting bombs, and above the deep thundering of the artillery and shell explosions. With all this were mingled the moans and groans of the wounded, the cries for help and the last screams of death. Again and again the extended lines of British infantry broke against the German defence like waves against a cliff, only to be beaten back.”

© Ian R Gumm, 2011

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In the footsteps of HEROES!

In the footsteps of 11059 Private George Sherwin 2nd Battalion, the Lincolnshire Regiment Killed-in-action near Ovillers-la-Boisselle on 1st July 1916

Arranging your Battlefield Tour

In the footsteps of 11059 Private George Sherwin
2nd Battalion, the Lincolnshire Regiment
Killed-in-action near Ovillers-la-Boisselle on 1st July 1916