Hawthorn Ridge Cemetery No. 2

Hawthorn Ridge Cemetery No. 2 , In July 1916, this ground was in no-man's land close to the German front-line. It was unsuccessfully assaulted on the first day of the Battle of the Somme by the 29th Division. The area was strongly fortified, and German troops used the terrain for protection, especially the deep depression known as 'Y Ravine"., In the spring of 1917, the German Army withdrew to a new defensive line to the east, the Siegfriedstellung, called the Hindenburg line by the Allies. As British and French forces advanced, the Somme battlefields were searched and cleared. Originally named 'V Corps Cemetery No. 12’, this cemetery was begun at that time for the burial of remains discovered nearby. , This is now the final resting place of over 210 servicemen, of whom some 65 remain unidentified. The cemetery was designed by George Hartley Goldsmith, who served with the Royal Engineers during the war. , The Somme Offensive: Hawthorn Ridge , On the warm summer morning of I July 1916, this area was heavily bombarded by British artillery in preparation for the attack by 29th Division. Just north of here lay the 'Hawthorn Redoubt, a labyrinth of German trenches and machine-gun posts thought almost impregnable. In preparation for the attack, the 252nd Tunnelling Company of the Royal Engineers had placed over 18 tons of high explosive under the redoubt. , At 7.20 am, the deafening thunder of the artillery was drowned out by a terrific roar as much of the Hawthorn Redoubt was obliterated. Hundreds of German soldiers of 119th Reserve Regiment were killed, the blast leaving a crater over 40 metres wide and 15 metres deep. Fresh white chalk thrown by the explosion lay like snow over the ridge as the surviving German defenders rushed from deep dugouts to take up their positions. Elements of the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Fusiliers were tasked with capturing the crater and supporting their comrades of 29th Division as they attacked on either side, but attempts to secure the crater before zero hour were defeated by Germans who had already managed to dig in around the edge. , At 7.30 am, the main assault of the 2nd Royal Fusiliers began. Attacking troops were met by devastating machine-gun and rifle fire, and German shells falling in the packed trenches killed many before they could advance. , Over half of the 2nd Royal Fusiliers, some 550 men, were wounded or killed in the first few hours of the attack. The bodies of some 70 men of the battalion were discovered close to this location in 1917. They were buried here and in Hawthorn Ridge Cemetery No.1, some 500 metres north, along with other men of 29th Division who died in the attack, including several members of the Newfoundland Regiment. Many of their comrades have no known grave, and their names are inscribed on the Thiepval Memorial. , Captions , The mine under German front-line positions at Hawthorn Redoubt is fired, 7.20 am, 1 July 1916, La mine sous les positions de la ligne de front allemande de la redoute Howthorn est mis à feu, 7h20, Illet 1916, Commonwealth War Graves Commission , The Commission is responsible for the commemoration of almost 1,700,000 members of the Commonwealth forces who gave their lives in the two world wars. The graves and memorials of these men and women, who came from all parts of the Commonwealth and who were of many faiths and of none, are found around the globe in some 150 countries. For more information about the Commission, our work and how to search our records online visit www.cwgc.org or contact us at [email protected], For more information about this location and some of those commemorated here, scan the QR code (right). ,