ARTICLE: Beginning the Battle of the Somme, Pt.1

This week marks the anniversary of the beginning of the Battle of the Somme, 109 years ago. We mark the 1st July 1916 as the worst day in British military history, but in actual fact, the first four days of the battle are one huge dumpster fire, and it is often difficult to predict where a man might have died anywhere in that nightmare. All will become clear, because this week, I am sharing the first four entries that we (self, Andrew Holmes and Jonny Dyer) included in a 2016 book: Somme, 141 Days, 141 Lives. The premise was that we instead of wholly focusing on the opening day, we would pay tribute to one man who died on each day of the campaign. Beginning with a very personal entry. I am currently out on a tour to Normandy with a busload of Chelsea fans, and Billy Disbrey was the great uncle of another fan, who offered him up as a candidate to open the book…

1st July, 1916

#15812 Private Herbert William Disbrey, 11th Suffolk Regiment

(C) The Disbrey Family)