Walking the Battle of the Somme with Mat McLachlan

[@markmewordz6860]

My grandfather was a regular in the Lancashire Fusiliers when war broke out. Survived 1914. Sent to take part in the Gallipoli landings in 1915, survived all that. Posted to the Somme in May 1916. Survived day one but was eventually mustard gassed in November. Sent home, got a job with the railway and went on to have three more kids. The gas poisoning that he endured to his lungs, eventually killing him, a decade or so later. Nan didn't get a war pension. They just got on with it. Tough people ... different times.

[@TheAeroBarKid]

@Phil McCrevice Same with my Great Grandfather and his brother. I always knew about my great grandfather as my dad knew him in the 1960s (dad born 1958) and he died sometime around then but my dad knew he fought in the war and lost his thumb. Later few years ago my dad dug into him and found his war papers etc and found out his was in the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers (I'm /dad and he are from Dublin, he joined the army in 1910 on 29th December). Like your grandfather Derek he also fought in Gallipoli and then had to be transported to Egpyt as well as Greece before returning home (that was on his military passport and also on the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers history of where they fought). He then fought in the Somme being one of the only Irish regiments to fight in it and well he survived otherwise I wouldn't be here otherwise. But what I found out the other week via a free trail on ancesrtry .com was that he had a young brother who also joined the army the same day as him and fought alongside him and his death record , July 1st 1916 , France 23 years old. My dad heard his name mentioned and one of my dad brothers (he has 8 lol) was actually named after him but none of his family really knew since it was never spoken of too much. I just can't believe my grandfather along with his brother fought all that way together for one to be lost in the Somme. Great grandfather lost his finger in that battle and later returned in 1917 and fought till the end. He died in the 1960s so never met him and my dad was only a kid too. His name is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial and I'm going to try get my dad to come visit Thiepval Memorial and the battlefield to pay my great uncle a visit and we're going to try put a plaque with his name back here home in ireland beside his brother and if i can find his wives grave. Same thing then happened with you as when my grandfather returned he didn't receive much and my dad grew up in a flat with 8 brothers and a sister with 2 bedrooms in it. Amazing generations and I can't wait to visit and pay my respects

[@alisaculley603]

My great grandfather was in the Saskatchewan Regiment during WW1 and his brother was a Sapper with the 3rd Canadian Tunnel Co. My great grand uncle went overseas early, he spent most his time in Ypres, he was shot and was gassed to. He died a few years after the war from complications. On his Western Union telegram to my great grandfather all it said was Oliver died awaiting instructions for war. He had bad nerves and suffered, when my great grandfather was asked what happened he said he died a horrible death and never bring it up again, for him to snap like that was not common, very soft spoken man. My great grandfather was told his brother was very sick, he was getting stuff together to go see him, he got the telegram just before he was going to leave to see him.

[@robertcolajezzi5273]

Always wondered if there were many veterans who took part in battles on different fronts and survived the war or if there were many who survived from the first to last day throughout entire war

[@Jimfowler82]

Same with my nans dad he came home and he died when she was 7. Bloody mustard gas

[@DampSeagull9166]

Jesus your grandpa was an actual superhero

[@MrSouzy]

I am a Brit but I Currently work and live in Germany. In the town in which I live I came across a photographs of our market square of our very small part of town on the day when war broke out. They had gathered all of the young men in the square in a sort of call to arms. The caption on the photo said that there was no jubilation or joy at going to war especially with the British. Remember up until this point both nations were actually quite close to one another on a cultural level. Just up the road from me now is the German memorial for those men who died from our part of town and most probably most of those men who gathered on that day in the square have their name written there now. The first world war wiped out almost all of the male side of my family so sometimes I have a uneasy feeling walking past it. Nevertheless everyone who died in ww1 was the son of someone. Very tragic.

[@MatMcLachlanHistory]

Well said. Thanks for sharing.

[@HT-gv1be]

TomTom a lot of the Germans and British thought we should have been fighting together against the french and Russians as they are Saxons and we are Anglo Saxons think there was actually a German sign threat was put on top of a trench saying ‘we are Saxons you are Anglo Saxons. If you don’t shoot we won’t either’

[@CHIL2903]

@@HT-gv1be True, they would even warn each other when they were "ordered" to show a bit more aggression, by signalling the other side when a shell was going to be sent over. This policy didn't prove too popular with the top brass, as can be imagined and regiments found to be indulging in this sort of thing would be rotated and replaced by those who would show more martial spirit. The Guard regiments from both side tended to do things by the book in this respect. The Prussian and Bavarian regiments tending to be the least "popular."

[@NickTasy]

Any way you could share the photo with the world?

[@johnwilliams5466]

Both world wars were a waste of human life for most of the nations of Europe. The German people suffered more from ww1 than anyone else.

[@karstenlund8956]

Been there three times and it leaves a massive impact every time. We will remember them

[@elasolezito]

It belongs to somme of the bloodiest battles ever!

[@rbf100]

RIP Royal Newfoundland Regiment. Slaughtered in the Beaumont Hamel sector of the Somme. Almost every family back home lost a relative in this battle.

[@tombrydson781]

rbf100 very sad day for all

[@patrickhorgan7621]

And the Essex men who went forward with them and suffered just as much

[@samhunt9380]

Totally useless and incompetent senior officers should have been arrested and court marshalled, but of course they considered British working classes as close to subhuman and only worthy of being cannon fodder anyway....

[@lostcontrol1981]

July 1 is normally a day of celebration in Canada - but for Newfoundland it’s Remembrance Day for all the young men lost. RIP. Always remembered. ❤️

[@Mark-in1im]

The nauseating incompetence of military leadership of sending those fine men into certain death is so infuriating. Those poor men didn't want to be mourned or cried over or memorialized -- they wanted to LIVE!

[@Pincer88]

In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved, and were loved, and now we lie In Flanders fields. Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields. Major John McCrae - 1915

[@Fortress333]

@G Man Reading John McCrae's poem gave me goosebumps. Reading yours gave me shellshock.

[@NeverTakeNoShortcuts]

McCrae threw it away for a reason. Insipid Doggerel.

[@johnhealy6676]

I paid my respects at his grave last time I was over there

[@johnhealy6676]

@@NeverTakeNoShortcuts Philistine

[@NeverTakeNoShortcuts]

@The fastest milkman in the West sentimental tripe. WWI was a disaster, not something to be romanticized by this little ditty.

[@brentmoyer6618]

My Grandfather, Thomas Arthur Skitt (born 1896) from Manchester fought here and was wounded. The bullet came to rest next to his heart and it was determined that it was too dangerous to remove it and so it remained there until he died in 1970. He married Ruby Maude Till and had three kids Tommy (served on the Snowberry in WW2), Ruby and Sylvia, my Mom in England before moving to 16th Avenue in Lachine, Quebec around 1927. He loved his Family, walking and watching baseball. He was a wonderful Grandfather and I miss him dearly.

[@philsmith6583]

My Grandfather was a medic in the Somme for the English, the horror's he would have seen would have been unimaginable, he went on to be an air raid siren man in ww2

[@chloekit4861]

Did he ever talk about it? How old are you if you don’t mind me asking?

[@anomalyp8584]

If you have some stories to share?

[@davidwright2379]

My great grandfather was a British imperial force soldier and medic, dying in Oct 18, Balkans, can only imagine the scenes he witnessed over 100 years ago, bless him

[@raymondjarvis765]

My great grandfather was also a medic for 1st Canadian div..wounded in1918.just finding out about him and don't know much it all..hope to learn more soon

[@richard9444]

My grandad was there and my 2 great uncles died there ,

[@peternicholsonu6090]

My grandad Alfred survived this battle. Came home damaged but raised a family which is why I am here. He never would celebrate this war. In respect for his firsthand judgement I too have done likewise. Young men died whilst old men talked.

[@beeldpuntXVI]

Peter Nicholsonu let us not celebratie, nevertheless I Will remember their efforts.

[@MrRugbylane]

Hear hear. The vast majority of the Dead in the Great War (including about 60% of British soldiers) were press ganged into the war against their will. (if you have to be drafted it is, by definition, against your will. The Great War was a disaster for Europe.

[@peternicholsonu6090]

beeldpuntXVI definitely. But honor the poor wives and girlfriends left alone for a lifetime.

[@peternicholsonu6090]

Stephen Lane I lost my darling of 46yrs 3yrs ago. Those wives and sweethearts grieved the rest of their young and older lifetimes. They should have been honoured.

[@sosteve9113]

Very impressive when you visit the place

[@trevorrobinson8577]

Extremely well presented Matt. A very moving account of what happened in 1916. If we stop and really think about this war, I wonder as humans have we learned anything from it? Sadly no.

[@MatMcLachlanHistory]

Thanks Trevor. Well said.

[@dalebeck2082]

My wife and I were privileged to spend a day guided by an expert touring the Battle of the Somme several years ago. I remember touring the trenches, the backyard cafe where a recreated set of trenches had been built and the huge memorial to the British and Commonwealth soldiers whose bodies and graves were never found. What was most poignant to me was a small roadside cemetery where perhaps 50 or so soldiers had been buried many years ago. I will never forget reading the gravestones and learning the ages of those young men who gave their lives for freedom.

[@honestreviewer3283]

Hell on earth. As a Canadian veteran (Royal Regina Rifles and the Canadian Special Operations Regiment) who underwent his infantry officer training in the Canadian Maritimes (Gagetown), I find the Royal Newfoundland Regiment memorial absolutely heartbreaking. I am grateful for historians like this who are keeping the history alive, explaining it in relatable ways for future generations. Lest we forget.

[@bengimanbig6881]

my dear granddad was there border regiment known as the Tyneside scots he was one off them that survived served 1914 . 1918 thank you granddad

[@henrypulleine8750]

Hi. For your info, the Border Regiment recruited in what is now Cumbria. The Tyneside Scottish were four battalions of the Northumberland Fusiliers, who recruited in Northumberland and to a lesser extent County Durham.

[@Ribeirasacra]

Have you watched Chris.Tarrant.Extreme Railways Series 6 Ep1? He talks about the Tyneside Scots in some detail.

[@mixalis_pagiatakis5864]

god bless him and you my friend! much love

[@lowiq3409]

RIP to all the brave Geman soldiers who lost their lives here as well.

[@Jimfowler82]

Often forgot. My grandad didn’t though from ww2 used to say they was just doing as they told. With exceptions of course. He used to show me the war graves we have here many are German names

[@29Fiorello]

Yes, does anyone think that those German boys and men woke up one morning and thought "Gee, wouldn't it be fun to go to war with people I don't know, who never did anything to me, and maybe will kill me." War is just the way of the world - since men evolved and decided they wanted more of what somebody else had. Makes no sense to me, that's for sure.

[@Maltetren]

Ehm

[@michaljon1963]

Austria-Hungary too

[@michaljon1963]

Czechs and Russians - everyone

[@mettahuttravels3183]

In 1985 I commenced my nurse training at Concord Repatriation General Hospital. My Frist pt was Mr A Cooke. He was a WW1 soldier. A remarkable man in depth & knowledge. He was one of many soldiers who defied orders & taken a camera into battle. I imagine there are thousands of these albums floating around. It is my hope that they make it to the Australian War Memorial at some stage.🙏🏻🇦🇺❤️

[@TheFunkhouser]

New Zealand Kiwi here.. bless our fallen and those that fought alongside us.. Never forgotten! | 🙏❤😔

[@stevemacca786]

TheFunkhouser chur bro🇦🇺🇳🇿

[@delandrews2929]

Those men were so brave, they must have been terrified but so so brave, RIP Soldiers!

[@gordonmckenzie926]

Excellent, thank you. My grandfather survived the slaughter at Gommecourt.

[@MatMcLachlanHistory]

Gordon McKenzie My pleasure Gordon.

[@Shadooe]

Very well done video, but one thing I want to mention: Beaumont Hamel was not the end of the Newfoundland Regiment. Ours were back in the line at Gueudecourt in Oct. There was their truly heroic defense of Monchy-le-Preux in 1917 and on through to Tommy Rickett's VC action in 1918. It was the only Reg't to be titled "Royal" in WW1 (only the 3rd ever in a time of war). Beaumont Hamel was the only time in WW1 that the RNFLDR failed to take their objective.

[@DardanellesBy108]

Finally something in my recommendations worth watching. This was very well done. I look forward to seeing your other videos.

[@MatMcLachlanHistory]

Thanks!

[@ricoman7981]

My wife and I visited many WW I battle sites and graveyards in May 2022, The Somme, Vimy, Verdun etc in France and Ypres, Paschendale and others in Belgium. We also attended the nightly ceremony at the Menin Gate in Ypres. I am not afraid to say that all the sites and stories bring out the emotions just to think about the hell all these young soldiers went through. At the Newfoundland Memorial it was quite the thing to stand in an actual trench and envision what it must have been like, even though with the very best imagination, there is no way we could do justice the realities and atrocities of war. My mother’s father was buried alive in WWI. He was rescued and sent back to England with permanently damaged lungs. Soon after his return he married my Grandmother and started a family. My Mom had no recollection of him as he died very young, when she was just a toddler. War is hell.

[@scottyfox6376]

I have collected a pine cone to grow direct decendants of "The Lone Pine Tree" from Gallipoli. I've obtained this from a memorial tree with photographic evidence to prove that the Australian soldiers had recovered seeds from the artillery shattered tree. The battle of Lone Pine resulted in 7 Victoria Crosses in 5 days of some of the bloodiest hand to hand fighting of WW1. I will offer the trees to local schools & institutions to use as memorials.

[@wreckt2751]

It interesting that u say that,the exact descendent lone pine tree still grows today in a ex military training base in Oatley,southern Sydney.

[@benboettger9294]

You sir, are an exceptional gentleman. Keep up the good work.

[@gswombat]

@@wreckt2751 There are many trees that people claim to be descendants of trees from Lone Pine. Most are nice stories, but the only ones with a verifiable provenance are the McDowell trees in Warrnambool, Terang, Wattle Park, and the Shrine.

[@darrenwalsh6965]

Fantastic history, thanks for uploading. Lest we forget.

[@MatMcLachlanHistory]

Darren Walsh thank you!

[@MrButtonpresser]

Brilliantly presented. Remembering my great grandfather, Ypres 1915.

[@MatMcLachlanHistory]

Thank you!

[@charlesuplifted5216]

My grandfather was wounded at cantingy in ww1 in his right kneecap greetings from the usa

[@MrButtonpresser]

@@charlesuplifted5216: If war has taught us one thing, it's that we are all connected as one in the end.

[@ArtbyKatina]

Seeing these fields again, even on video makes my heart ache. I toured the WW1 sites in 2016 and cried each and everyday being on those hallowed grounds.

[@MatMcLachlanHistory]

Katina Howard it’s a special place.

[@daphnewalker4951]

I wept too - Spring 2014.

[@dane5896]

I believe my Grandfather fought there with the Irish Guards. He luckily survived and returned to Ireland. He eventually moved to America and raised his family. I play the Battle of Somme on the Bagpipes in their memory.

[@MatMcLachlanHistory]

Great story Dan. Thanks for sharing.

[@tonobehnke5885]

Honor y respeto eterno a los bravos británicos!

[@jeffchristie1541]

Mat that was heartbreaking and very informative ,fantastic presentation I take my hat off to your professionalism .Thank you 🙏

[@MatMcLachlanHistory]

Thanks Jeff!

[@camperp195]

ALWAYS REMEMBER NEVER EVER FORGET ❤️

[@patrick45sue]

My Grandfather was here in WW1, he was mustered gassed ... He survived & I’m here to tell his story .. 🇦🇺🇦🇺

[@patrick45sue]

Bounze Thank You

[@bluesman7119]

Doing some research my Great Grandfather's nephew Lance Corporal Neil MacLeod was reported as missing in action on October 12, 1916, while serving with ‘C’ Company during the fighting at Gueudecourt. he was to have been buried by a shell, together with a number of other men just 18 years of age

[@shahjhanhaider26]

As I was watching this video,,it's been beautiful to see the green plains and mounds of Some,Not only beauty of location but first world wars relics and the soldiers who never cared thier life and being died in the battlefield would be unforgettable .British victory at the cost of heavy toll is reminder that now a days war had no outcome except disaster,we should not take it as taken for granted,any one going to war must.before think what would have been the reaction s,Any way it's good video made by picturesque meadow,Never before seen trenches,a war of trenches

[@Playwithdeutschland]

My blood fought with the German army, both sides did a lot of damage full respect. The French did one hell of a job, shame we attacked france and not just Hungary

[@northernlight696]

My grandfather fought there with the 26th New Brunswick regiment. His wife (My Grandmother) had a first cousin killed at Ypres after an underground explosion. Although they never found his body (Beverly Powys), his name is at Menin Gate.

[@neilmackinnon3371]

Wonderful video. I have a great uncle buried just a few km from Le Tommy and another a few km further on in Meaulte. They volunteered, they served and they never returned to their family, but they are certainly not forgotten.

[@sheddweller1969]

I to have a great uncle buried in Meaulte I'm planning to visit very soon. Although never known to me He will never be forgotten.

[@Mod-rw9cw]

My great granda was in the Tyneside Scottish regt and was killed on the first day of the Somme and they never found his body because he was blown to bits by an artillery shell.

[@Ro6entX]

I say this respectfully but if he was killed by a shell, that would be "best' way because so quick it happened.

[@lbco5229]

I’m glad you are remembering him. God bless him and all who were lost or maimed.

[@danielplayle5663]

Thay have been fighting with there tanks a bombs since 1916 the cranberries my great great great uncle son was killed in this battle age 22

[@alexclose11]

My Great Great Grandfather James Morgan, died on the first day of the Somme. Fighting in the Tyneside Scottish you scanned past his and his brother, Thomas, name with the camera on the Theipval Memorial. Made me more determined to visit La Boiselle and the memorial than ever. Thank you

[@MatMcLachlanHistory]

How amazing that we featured his name in the doco. Thanks for sharing.

[@alexclose11]

Yes, im in shock.

[@julienporisse9902]

My grandfather and his brother were in the French Infantry Grenadiers at Verdun. Grandpa survived although he was seriously injured. His brother called Julien was killed at 20 in February 1916 at Verdun.

[@Terrywaites]

My great grandfather lost his leg in the battle of Somme, was sent home to the North East of England to live out the rest of his days. One day I would love the opportunity to visit these amazing places where our ancestors gave everything for our freedom.

[@westleymanc]

Please, don't ever call this a British victory. Its was far from it, in fact it was a battle to far, the repercussions of we still feel today, Nov 2019

[@maddyg3208]

I agree, the war went on for exactly another two years after the Battle of the Somme and the minor territorial gains of the second half of 1916 were wiped out about in about a week during the German spring offensive of 1918. And if the Somme was such a victory, why didn't the British keep going in that direction instead of starting a whole new offensive in Flanders in 1917?

[@donnamoyer4620]

My Grandfather Thomas Arthur Skitt (Manchester/Lachine) was wounded during the battle of the Somme. He carried a bullet right up against his heart for the rest of his life as Doctors couldn't retrieve it. His son Tommy was on the HMCS Snowberry in WW2. My Father Gerald Wilson Moyer fought at Nijmegen and into Germany in WW2. I will always remember them.

[@brentmoyer6618]

@Bruce Sanders Thank you, sorry I just saw your reply now. We remember...

[@bigj3086]

That was intense. The more I learn about WW1, the more awestruck I am with the sheer courage of these men. I can only pray that I would have the fortitude to do what they did if that day ever came. RIP. All soldiers.

[@MatMcLachlanHistory]

Well said.

[@25dean]

Well done. I couldn't begin to fathom how brave they were.

[@johnhealy6676]

I hitched around Europe in 1974 I remember saying to my mate Have you noticed anything No birdsong no sound silence while we rested by a bridge I looked up and the sign says River Somme

[@me2027]

been there long before it was all lined off, when yo could walk around freely... mutch better than now...

[@paulmadryga]

8:22 - "[Beaumont-Hamel] saw the end of the Newfoundland regiment as a fighting force in the First World War..." Au contraire, good sir. New waves of volunteers were brought over from Newfoundland; the regiment was reconstituted several times after the Somme, and distinguished itself on several subsequent occasions. You'll find four more Caribou memorials in France and Belgium to attest to their valour.

[@MatMcLachlanHistory]

Yes if I could travel back in time I’d change that line in the documentary! I’m actually well aware of what the Newfoundland Regiment did for the rest of the war - not sure why I said that! 😂

[@shaunsmith3336]

My great grandfather Walter roe fought in the Somme,he was shot twice,in the shoulder, and the second in the leg,after which he was discharged,he still lived to 88 tho. Great video

[@MatMcLachlanHistory]

Respect to your great grandfather.

[@davedawe2420]

Wanted to make a correction on something you stated during this presentation. Beaumont Hamel (Day One of the Battle of the Somme) did not see the end of the Newfoundland Regiment. Within a few months they were back to full fighting strength and returned to the Front. They continued to build on their reputation as a courageous, determined fighting unit in battles at Gueudecourt, Monchy le Preux, Masnieres, Ypres, Cambrai, and others. Their bravery and performance throughout the conflict won them the title of "Royal" Newfoundland Regiment, the only British battalion so honoured during WWI.

[@MatMcLachlanHistory]

Thanks for the comment. I am actually aware of the proud history of the Newfoundland Regiment, but misspoke in that part of the video. I've been corrected many times!

[@davedawe2420]

@@MatMcLachlanHistory Cheers!

[@asterixdogmatix1073]

Great video (and series) Mat. I've been watching your WW1 series while restoring a couple of Lee Enfield SMLE rifles. One a 1917 SSA 'Peddled Scheme' British built gun and the other a WW2 era (1942) Lithgow Australian built rifle. I can't help think the stains in the woodwork of both tell the story of mud and rain, dust and sand and worse.

[@MatMcLachlanHistory]

Thanks!

[@michaelchappell4108]

One of my ancestors also went to the Somme Private Thomas Pickering Regiment No - 75219 Northumberland Fusiliers 1/6th Battalion ( Territorial) 6th Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers was a unit of the Territorial Force with its HQ at St George's Drill Hall, Northumberland Road, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, where Companies A to H were all based. They proceeded to France in April 1915, to join the 149th Brigade, 50th (Northumbrian) Division. They took part in the Second Battles of Ypres in 1915 and the Battle of the Somme in 1916, the Arras Offensive where they captured Wancourt Ridge and The Second Battle of Passchendaele in 1917. In 1918 they again saw action on The Somme and Battles of the Lys and Hindenburg Line.

[@daleknight7433]

Those soldiers definitely deserve it. It could have been bigger and better. My grandfather was in world war and my dad and world war II, uncles and cousins in Korea and Vietnam. When will we stop being commodity for the elite??

[@deanggibbons8999]

Here here, well said, I agree with you, governments are still sending young men into conflicts that are a total waste of life and money, they still have not learnt from previous generations, politicians think they are privileged by abusing the power they think they have but they are nothing but public servants.

[@smudge6420]

Just walking on that field makes me really see how lucky we are. Its also a very sad place to go just to know how many people had died in that very place. Rest In Peace all that died in that horrible time in history.

[@JazzMan76]

Very well done. It's hard not to get wrapped up into the statistics of the massive loss of life and forget that each lost life was connected to a story of what was and would could have been.

[@MacEstelle]

Sir you have done such an incredible job here, telling history and showing the areas of battle. Many thanks

[@MatMcLachlanHistory]

Thank you! I appreciate the comment.

[@HistoryofWarreloaded]

all Somme fighters rest in peace

[@baberoot1998]

People will criticize anything. The Memorial should be revered with utmost respect. Sickening, that some would criticize it.

[@MatMcLachlanHistory]

Thanks for the comment. It’s important to note that the criticism came from veterans and the families of the men remembered there when the memorial first opened. No-one would dream of criticising it today.

[@sonnyjim5268]

Interesting, to many Newfoundlanders 1 July is not Canada Day (Canada's birthday) but Beaumont-Hamel Day.

[@michaelhayden725]

My grandmothers first cousin was killed at Pozeres in Julyu1916. He has no known grave and is listed on the Australian Memorial at Villers Brettenuex

[@JohnDoe-tw8es]

I really hope that wars like this one are a thing of the past. Such a waste of young men . My dad worked for British Rail after WW2 , part of his job was making tea for a number of vets that were still suffering the affects of what they went through, British Rail was good enough to give them a job so they would get a pay cheque. Dad said they did not really work they couldn't.

[@christineyetman640]

We Newfoundlanders are so very proud of our Young boys who served and lost their lives at the Somme...

[@samhunt9380]

My grandfather was wounded on the Somme, sent back to England for rehabilitation, met my grandmother who was a young nurse assigned to him at the time. He never went back into combat and after the war emigrated to New Zealand where they finally started a small family. A humble, dignified and quiet man, I'll never forget him......RIP

[@chloekit4861]

Wow that’s like a romance movie

[@paulwillson8887]

Newfgoundland raised a second battalion and replaced the men who were lost on 1 July 1916 and that from a dominion with a very small population at the time . And yes Newfoundland was an independent part of the Empire in WW I.

[@daveyponderosa9549]

Amen Sir! Terra Nova Forever!'

[@senseiplays4663]

Through so much pain and death was born so much beauty. What a terribly beautiful place. Lest we forget

[@ghendar]

Very well done, Mat. Touching, poignant, and interesting.

[@MatMcLachlanHistory]

Thank you!

[@michaelmcclellan6944]

I am proud to say that the sons,daughters, grandchildren ,and even great grandchildren of these brave soldiers are now the allies of the United States... I am also proud to say that the great grandchildren of these brave German soldiers are today also allies of the USA and UK...

[@littleripper312]

After reading a lot of books on ww1 the thing I've found so frustrating is how many times some moron in charge made a terrible decision that led to 100s or 1000s being slaughtered with zero chance of any gain.

[@seibelstein]

My grandfathers served the whole war 14-18 in the bavarian army, at different front-sections from Flanders to Rumania. Both were sergeants, both were medical service-men, not carrying arms. The battle of the Somme was for both the most cruel and hardest time in war. One grandfather did his service mostly in surgery stations close to the front, the other usualy in the first front line. This one often told after war, that from his company only he himself and two or three other soldiers came out of the battle of the Somme without any injurie. All the others, about 150 men, were dead, wounded or missed.

[@rodblievers620]

With great respect to Matt, 1st July 1916 did not represent the end of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment in WW1. They left behind a cadre on that dreadful day, the battalion was re-formed and fought on until November 1918. There are four later Caribou monuments; three more in France and one in Belgium - all commemorating events subsequent to 1916.

[@Shadooe]

"Better Than the Best."

[@marilyncoady4476]

I was going to say the same thing. Although July 1st was a terrible day for the Newfoundland regiment, later to be given the name Royal, it was just the beginning of an honourable history of service that continues to this day.

[@MatMcLachlanHistory]

Yes I misspoke in that part of the documentary. I am actually well aware of the proud history of the regiment, so must have had a brain fart!

[@marilyncoady4476]

@@MatMcLachlanHistory We all have our moments Matt. Your tours are well done.

[@rodblievers620]

@@MatMcLachlanHistory Brain farts - we all have them!

[@chrismarchant7]

801 men of the Newfoundlands went over the top. Just 67 answered the rollcall afterwards

[@felixllorens677]

Honor y gloria a los caídos en combate. Honor y gloria al soldado desconocido. Gracias!!

[@stephenchristianberana4873]

As someone whose country is as far removed geographically from the Western Front of WWI, I always wanted to visit and pay homage to the its various sites and memorials. This may be as close as I could get. Thank you for the absolutely well-made and enlightening tour. "They shall not grow old."

[@MatMcLachlanHistory]

Thank you!

[@tonyc9572]

What a waste of young men`s Life`s who probably would have been good friend`s had the met in different circumstances and with the help of videos like this the younger generation can watch this and never forget that these brave men gave their life`s for their freedom may they rest in peace .

[@parapsychologist5402]

The British helped save France twice and they complain about a large monument.

[@patriot388]

This disaster is a result of incompetent British command! Unnecessary sacrifice of good men.

[@Finn.Muller]

My great grandfather fought here he said in his journal "das Ganze ist ein Blutbad" (the whole thing is a bloodbath)

[@sam_uelson]

51st highlands was the same unit left behind after Dunkirk; separated from the main perimeter and forced into a position where It was impossible to be evacuated

[@minnesotajack1]

My great grandfather was an American runner in WW1. As far as I know, he never spoke of anything he saw.

[@ducatiboy4951]

Thank you it brings back memories of my wife and myself visiting for the 100 year Commemoration. We will remember them.

[@tomdelia]

Great video. Grab a Peugeot next time…..Toyota doesn’t fit the theme 🇫🇷

[@Madalf71]

Great video, I was there Nov 2018 following some history of a Great Uncle, remembered at Poziers Cemetery, one of the many missing. Your words at Thiepval, very appropriate, it's a place where I was just silent, feeling history. I'll go back one day, but not for a very long time. Thank you for your work.

[@MatMcLachlanHistory]

Thank you, I appreciate your comments.

[@Flintlock1776]

Extremely well done.

[@MatMcLachlanHistory]

Thanks!

[@mikeecho33]

as a Canadian who is serving, thank you for the begging I ahve many Newfie buds that would love to see this

[@parkway117]

My great great granddad died in the Somme. His body was never recovered from the fields

[@Raptorman0909]

Many of the missing would have been obliterated by explosions and artillery fire so that nothing resembling a person remained. The process of shoring up a trench often involved shoveling dirt with humans remains.

[@LucasGibbo]

Haven't been to the Somme since 2016 where I found two of my relatives' memorials, the brothers of my grandfather whose bad health meant he couldn't go. Out of the 7 brothers who went, only 1 made it home. Hard to imagine life like this. Hoping to get my girlfriend to come up with me next summer to revisit the memorials

[@bloqk16]

Interesting when Mat spoke about how well dug-in the Germans were in the trenches @11:19, that I recall my high school (US) English teacher, when the class was doing a reading session of "All's Quiet On the Western Front," that she was well-versed with history knowledge with that book. An example of that: The part of the Germans being dug-in in connection with that book: I recall her saying that the German Army had done well with fortifying their bunker emplacements with hard materials, including concrete, so they could withstand incoming artillery.

[@thechawangtvofficial]

Thank you sir for your research through your research we able to understand alot..life is just amazing journey 😢😥😥

[@MatMcLachlanHistory]

It's my pleasure

[@mortonbartlett8233]

My paternal Granddad was at the Somme 1916, Age 32 served with Otago Mounted Rifles, Badly wounded in an airburst and after nearly a year in hospitals and rehab he returned to his home town, thankfully as he was not married or had children at that time

[@mikes8917]

An old pals regiment recruited from Meir, Stoke-On-Trent, went over the top at the Somme, nearly every house in the Meir lost a father, or a son or grandson.

[@libertyforall5764]

God damn!! Is it really nessessary to throw in an ad every 2 minutes or so? Add another 10... please. Was 17:38, but peace out.✌️

[@MatMcLachlanHistory]

Yeah that’s the KZbin algorithm. I’ll try and tweak it.

[@lurkenskanal405]

2:14 great line of sight all across the country, as you see... No i cant see the great line of sight xP

[@ianbambergermusic]

Simply impossible to imagine the horrors the New Foundlanders went through. Feels like the military "strategy" or "tactics" of the time had not caught up with the modernization of weaponry.

[@ianbambergermusic]

and horrifyingly incompetent Officers. Great watch!

[@TTHBLOX_]

The fog around in this video makes this battlefield feel so surreal

[@jacobrommel3112]

Why didn't the British order another wave of artillery ? Obviously seeing my men getting cut down senseless I would've ordered carpet bombs and artillery strikes all across Ridgeline to create craters for my men to advance. What were they thinking? Such an huge loss of life for what?

[@MatMcLachlanHistory]

The problem throughout the First World War was a lack of adequate communication. Without real-time comms (like radio) it was impossible to change artillery plans to respond to requirements on the battlefield. Even if an observer noted the need for more artillery, the time required to pass that information to thousands of gun batteries by field telephone and runner meant that the instructions were redundant before the guns could even start firing. Hence the plan to smash the Germans for a week before the infantry advance - it was the only practical thing they could do.

[@RedHorseCebu]

It is a true sign of intelligence when you can emotionally connect with the energy of the past.

[@wolfpack4694]

I'm always struck by the fact that the European combatants of the First WW dismissed the lessons learned from the American Civil War, despite having observers on scene. The craters and trenches in the Somme resemble the craters and trenches around Petersburg, VA in the 1864/65, more than fifty years earlier. My great grandfather was a stretcher bearer in the Great War, in the Irish Free State Division, Ypres. I thank the Lord I never had to do what they were asked to do.

[@fartbreath1961]

Irish Free State Division? Was that a US division during WWI or was he serving in the British army? I have studied WWI a lot as a Brit and never heard of the Irish Free State Division. In the British army there was the 10th Irish Division, 16th Irish Division and 36th Ulster Division, no mention of 'free state' since the Irish Free State did not exist then. It sounds like something more from the US Civil War when lots of Irish nationalists emigrated to the US and served in the Northern army.

[@scottyfox6376]

I can't ever stop thinking of the disgraceful military decisions made by the Generals who should be vilified in history. 😒

[@ant-1382]

inept, arrogant commanders who were, officers only due to there families social standing and not there qualifications.

[@tuberholic]

@JAG I read not long ago that the last soldier killed in War 1 was an American who was killed at 10:59 am on Nov 11. It was reported that the German soldiers were yelling at him to go back. The war was over. But he kept coming so they shot him dead. Ironically, that soldier was born in Germany and came to America at a young age. What a waste.

[@stevenweaver3386]

The field marshal who commanded the British armies during this time was Douglas Haig. He earned the nickname "Butcher Haig".

[@anthonyeaton5153]

Haig’s policies led to eventual victory. The Somme was fought to ease the pressure on Verdun where he French and Germans were locked a battle annihilation for 121 days. The British offensive forced the Germans to release 13 divisions to the Somme.

[@24934637]

Obvious which side 'won' this war. Virtually no memorials to the hundreds of thousands of Germans who also died fighting in this pointless bloodbath.

[@MatMcLachlanHistory]

Unsurprisingly the French don’t want memorials on their land dedicated to the men who invaded, occupied them for four years and killed a million soldiers and civilians.

[@effen_aey_man]

Gettysburg springs to mind. Marching a mile across open terrain into enemy fire, half the fighting force was wiped out before it even got to fight.