Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme

The Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme, near Thiepval, in the Somme department of France, commemorates by name over 72,000 British and South African servicemen who died in the Battles of the Somme and have no known grave.

Within just a few months of the outbreak of the First World War, the Western Front became bogged down, creating a stalemate where neither side could achieve a decisive breakthrough. By late 1915, the French and British were planning a major offensive to break this deadlock, choosing the area along the Somme River, in northern France, as it was the point in the Allied line where the two armies met. Yet, following the German attack on the French at Verdun in February 1916, the British were forced to take the lead in what had originally been intended as a joint offensive, in a desperate attempt to relieve pressure on their allies.

The Battle of the Somme would be the first major battle of Britain’s 'New Army', made up of inexperienced volunteers from all walks of life, who had been spurred to enlist by a wave of fervent patriotism. The battle got underway at 7.30 am on 1^st July 1916, when, following a week-long artillery bombardment that was supposed to pulverise the German defences, the first waves of British infantry left their trenches and began advancing across no man’s land. Yet, the German defences had been barely touched, and the advancing troops were cut down by a hail of machine gun and artillery fire.

1^st July 1916 would be the bloodiest day in the history of the British Army. In most places, the British were unable to take their objectives. By evening, they had suffered 57,470 casualties, including 19,240 fatalities, for a gain of just 8 km². The Battle of the Somme, which finally ended in November 1916, would come to represent the senseless tragedy and futility of the war. Over 140 days, more than one million British, French, and German soldiers were killed or wounded. The Allies had advanced less than 10 km. After the Germans fell back to the Hindenburg Line in the spring of 1917, there would be no further significant engagements in the Somme sector until March 1918.

Of the more than a million troops from Britain and its Empire who were killed during the First World War, the final resting place of more than half was unknown, with many having been hastily buried in unmarked graves that were later destroyed by battle, or their bodies blown to pieces by artillery fire. In 1917, the Imperial War Graves Commission was established to ensure the permanent commemoration of the British Empire's war dead, including those without a known grave. Several memorials to the missing were planned, each located near the site of a major battle. The first one to be unveiled, in July 1927, was the Menin Gate, in Ypres, Belgium.

The Memorial to the Missing of the Somme would be the largest of these monuments. The site chosen was at Thiepval, one of the most heavily defended German positions during the battle. The preliminary artillery barrage destroyed the village, but the Germans survived by sheltering in the cellars beneath the houses and put up stiff resistance once the advance began. Thiepval was not captured until late September, despite having been an objective for day one of the battle.

Negotiations to purchase the site started in the late 1920s, and Sir Edwin Lutyens was commissioned to design the memorial. Construction began in 1928, and it was inaugurated by Edward, Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII), in the presence of Albert Lebrun, the President of France, on 1^st August 1932. Besides being the largest memorial to the missing, it was also the last one to be unveiled on the Western Front.

The Memorial to the Missing of the Somme is an architectural masterpiece constructed from Portland stone and comprising a series of arches of varying sizes that interlock at right angles. The main arch is surmounted by a tower, which rises to a height of 43 metres, dominating the surrounding landscape. A Stone of Remembrance rests in the central space, whilst also included around the monument are sixteen stone laurel wreaths, inscribed with the names of sub-battles that made up the Battle of the Somme and subsequent actions in which the men commemorated here fell.

Inscribed on 48 stone panels are the names of over 72,000 men who died in the surrounding countryside up to 20^th March 1918, although over 90 per cent of them were killed in the main battle between 1^st July and 18^th November 1916. The panels are arranged by regiment, then by rank, and finally by name in alphabetical order. The vast majority served in British units, but over 800 South African soldiers are also commemorated here. The missing soldiers of other nations have their own memorials elsewhere.

The Memorial to the Missing of the Somme also commemorates the joint nature of the battle and the alliance between the British and French Empires. The flags of both nations fly atop the monument, while the Thiepval Anglo-French Cemetery lies at its base. It contains 300 French and 300 British Commonwealth burials, the vast majority of which are unidentified. The Cross of Sacrifice bears the inscription: “That the world may remember the common sacrifice of two and a half million dead, here have been laid side by side soldiers of France and of the British Empire in eternal comradeship”.