Battle of the Somme
Remembering men of Rushmoor who died in the Battle of the Somme, 1916
As the nation prepares to commemorate the centenary of the Battle of the Somme in the First World War, the contribution of the men of Aldershot, Farnborough and Cove to this great conflict is being remembered.
In 2014, to mark the centenary of the outbreak of the war, the Friends of the Aldershot Military Museum compiled and published the Rushmoor Roll of Honour: citizens of Aldershot, Farnborough and Cove who fell in the First World War. With the approaching anniversary of the Somme, the Friends have identified from the Rushmoor Roll of Honour men who died during the time of the battle of the Somme, 1 July to 18 November 1916, and whose units' locations and actions show that they were in the battle. Men who died up to 30 November were also considered to allow for those who may have died later of wounds received during the battle.
From the evidence available, a total of 52 Rushmoor men who fell during the battle of the Somme have been identified. As would be expected, the largest number, 13, are from the Hampshire Regiment, and there are 4 from the Queen's Royal (West Surrey) Regiment and 4 from the Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment). The remainder are spread across a wide range of regiments and corps, reflecting the way soldiers were posted at this point in the war to whichever regiments needed men.
The full details for all the men identified are in Rushmoor men who died during the Battle of the Somme (PDF). The Friends would very much like to hear from any of the families of these soldiers who may still be living in the Aldershot area, who may be able to add more information on their relatives, or may even have photographs of them.
If any descendants would like to contact the Friends of the Aldershot Military Museum, please use the details on our About page.
The Commemorative Somme Painting
On display in the special exhibitions area of the Aldershot Military Museum is a special painting which was unveiled at a ceremony in the Royal Garrison Church on 18 November, to mark the 100th anniversary of the ending of the Battle of the Somme.
The painting is by artist Helen Chester, who had an exhibition of her paintings at the Museum last year, and was commissioned by Headquarters Aldershot Garrison. The Friends of the Aldershot Military Museum were asked to provide the historical background to Aldershot Garrison on Aldershot's contribution to the Battle of the Somme. As part of this work, the Friends identified 53 men from Rushmoor who were killed at the Somme between 1st July and 18th November 1916. This drew on the work which had been done in compiling the Rushmoor Roll of Honour in 2014, and for the men who fell at the Somme research was done to identify their units' actions in the battle and to try and discover how and where the men had died. The Friends also discovered pictures of four of the local men who were killed, and these formed the basis of the central portraits in Helen Chester's painting.
The painting aims to commemorate all 53 men who fell, with the four central figures representative of all the soldiers. The central figures are (left to right): Padre David Guthrie, Army Chaplains Department; Lieutenant Alan Chubb, 8th Battalion, Hampshire Regiment; Private Alfred Foxon, 2nd Battalion, Hampshire Regiment; and Sergeant Henry Gledhill, 1st Battalion, Hampshire Regiment. Behind these are figures representing all the remaining Rushmoor men who died. On the left is The Somme Cross, now in the south porchway of the Royal Garrison Church, and other motifs depict the Hampshire Regiment badge and decorative details taken from the Royal Garrison Church. Full details of all the 53 Rushmoor men who fell at the Somme are documented in the first section of this web page.
Here are some of the pcitures from Helen Chester's Every Day Tommy exhibition last year:
