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Somme timeline
A timeline of the events leading up to, and during, the Battle of the Somme 1916
1914
28 June — Assassination of Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo
28 July — Austria declares war on Serbia
29 July — Russia mobilises
1 August — Germany declares war on Russia
3 August — German invasion of Belgium
4 August — Britain enters the war
4–19 August — British Expeditionary Force (BEF) mobilised
23–24 August — The BEF is involved in the Battle of Mons
26 August — Battle of Le Cateau – successful rear guard action by BEF II Corps
7–10 September — Battle of the Marne – German advance halted
12–15 September — Battle of the Aisne – German army goes on the defensive
4–10 October — Unsuccessful defence of Antwerp by Royal Naval Division
19–22 October — First Battle of Ypres – British, French and Belgian forces prevent capture of Ypres.
Western Front stabilised
1915
10–13 March — Battle of Neuve-Chapelle – BEF’s first offensive
22 April–25 May — Second Battle of Ypres – first German use of chlorine gas
7 May — RMS Lusitania sunk by a German submarine off Ireland
25 September–8 October — Battle of Loos – first use of gas by the BEF
19 December — General Sir Douglas Haig takes over as Commander-in-Chief of the BEF from Field Marshal Sir John French
29 December — Haig attends conference to discuss Anglo-French offensive on a 60-mile front on the Somme
1916
24 January — First Military Service Act passed by the House of Commons (conscription of unmarried men aged 18–41)
21 February — Battle of Verdun begins
12 March — Allied military conference at Chantilly regarding summer offensive
14 April — Lord Kitchener informs Haig that the British cabinet had agreed that the war could only be ended in battle
1 May — General Pétain receives command of the group of French Armies of the Centre. General Nivelle takes command of French 2nd Army
21 May — German attack on Vimy Ridge
25 May — Conscription extended to include married men aged 18–41
31 May — Battle of Jutland
4 June — Russian Brusilov Offensive against Austro-Hungarian and German forces
5 June — Death of Field Marshal Earl Kitchener in the sinking of HMS Hampshire en route to Russia to discuss joint strategy
24 June — Preliminary bombardment on the Somme begins (British code: ‘U Day’; final day to be ‘Z Day’)
27 June — Haig moves his headquarters to the Château Valvion, 12 miles from Albert; ‘X Day’
28 June — ‘Y Day’; Z Day postponed by two days due to bad weather
29 June — ‘Y+1’
30 June — ‘Y+2’
1 July — ‘Z Day’ – attack at 7.30 a.m. Greenwich Mean Time
15–22 September — Battle of Flers-Courcelette; first use of tanks
13–18 November — Battle of the Ancre; Beaumont-Hamel captured
18 November — Official end of the Battle of the Somme
THE FIRST DAY
04.00–06.25 — German batteries bombard the British frontline at Gommecourt
06.25 — Hurricane bombardment commences on German positions
07.00 — Mist in area of Carnoy lifts
07.15–07.22 — Entrances to Russian saps in no-man’s-land are blown
07.20 — Mine is blown under Hawthorn Redoubt at Beaumont-Hamel
07.27–07.28 — Remaining large mines are blown
07.30 — The main assault begins on the Somme
08.30 — Elements of 36th Division are 1 mile behind German lines
08.45 — 63rd Brigade of 21st Division reaches its objective at La Boisselle
09.00 — The Newfoundland Regiment is cut down behind British lines while trying to reach its objective
Elements of 8th Division attempt attack on German second-line positions at Ovillers
09.15 — An observer reports men of 31st Division are in the village of Serre
09.30 — French attack south of the Somme
56th Division reaches most of its objectives at Gommecourt
10.30 — Remains of 16th Middlesex and 2nd Royal Fusiliers retreat from the crater at Beaumont-Hamel
11.00 — Village of Montauban is captured
Signal seen from German second line at Gommecourt indicating progress of 46th Division
12.30 — French 39th Division reaches its final objectives
12.34 — British 30th Division capture La Briqueterie command post
14.00 — 7th Division outflank the village of Mametz
16.00 — Mametz cleared of enemy by 7th Division
18th and 30th Divisions consolidating their final positions
19.30 — VIII Corps have been driven out of most of the positions captured earlier in the day
21.30 — Final men from 46th Division return to British lines from no-man’s-land at Gommecourt
21.50 — Plan to attack with remains of 31st Division is cancelled
22.30 — Most of 36th Division are driven back to the British frontline by German counter-attacks
THE SOMME 1 JULY TO 13 NOVEMBER
1–13 July — Battle of Albert
2 July — Capture of Fricourt
2–6 July — Capture of La Boiselle
9–13 July — Capture of Mametz Wood and Contalmaison
11–12 July — Germans suspend operations at Verdun
14–17 July — Battle of Bazentin Ridge
14 July — Dawn attack on Trône Wood, Longueval and High Wood; cavalry in action
15–17 July — Capture of Ovillers and battle for Delville Wood begins – ends on 3 September
19 July — Diversionary attack at Fromelles north of the Somme
18–22 July — Attacks at Longueval, Delville and High Woods
23 July — Battle for Poziers begins – ends on 3 September
3–6 September — Battle of Guillemont
9 September — Battle of Ginchy
15–23 September — Battle of Flers-Courcelette – begins with first ever tank attack
25–28 September — Battle of Morval on boundary between British and French forces
26–28 September — Battle of Thiepval – concludes with the capture of the Thiepval position which had resisted all attacks since 1 July
1–18 October — Battle of Le Transloy Ridge
1 October–11 November — Battle of the Ancre Heights
13–18 November — Battle of the Ancre and capture of Beaumont-Hamel
Extracted from Battle Story: Somme 1916 by Andrew Robertshaw
