91st Brigade

7th Division's General Plan

On 1 July 1916 the Battle of the Somme was opened. The Allied line ran from north to south until just after crossing the Albert to Bapaume Road at La Boisselle. At the small village of Fricourt the line turned east running south of the village and under Mametz.

It would be the responsibility of 21st Division to capture Fricourt.

A few kilometres to the east 7th Division were preparing to capture Mametz using an assault force of 5 battalions. From left to right these were the 2nd Border, 9th Devonshire, 2nd Gordons, 1st South Staffordshire and 22nd Manchester.

The last two battalions were part of 91 Brigade who would be attacking to the east of the village of Mametz, with 21st Manchester and 2 Queens in support.

The other units formed 20th Brigade who would be attacking to the west of Mametz.

20th Brigade

Mametz had, like so many of the other villages in the German front line, been turned into a fortress. In front of it lay the main front line with secondary systems of trenches immediately surrounding the village.

The battle plan was for Mametz to be attacked on the flanks before a frontal assault was made later in the day.

1st South Staffs

Immediately in front of the South Staffs (who were positioned to the right of the 2nd Gordons) was a position called Bulgar Point which was the subject of a 2 000 lb. mine with a smaller 200 lb. mine to its left.

The detonation of these was certainly instrumental in the rapid progress made by the battalion as they managed to reach their section of Cemetery Trench within fifteen minutes of the attack commencing at 07:30 hrs.

From here on they were held up by severe machine gun fire from Danzig Alley in front of them and Bunny Alley to their left.

22nd & 21st Manchesters

The 22nd Manchesters were the right hand unit of 7th Division and had reached their first objective of Bucket Trench to the east of the village by 07:55 hrs. They then moved up further forward into Danzig Alley Trench the left hand section of their first objective.

Now, however they came up against stiff opposition from the Germans. At 08:55 hrs. the Germans launched a series of counter attacks from the Fritz Trench which pushed them back out of Danzig Alley.

At this stage D Coy 21st Manchester were sent up to assist their sister battalion to retake Danzig Alley. This in turn would allow 2nd Queens to come through and attack Fritz Trench - the Brigade's Second Objective.

The attack by the Manchesters was launched at 13:30 hrs. and succeeded in taking back Danzig Alley.

This helped 1st South Staffs take the remainder of Danzig Alley and continue into Bunny Alley on the far side of the village.

In the village you will find a memorial to the Manchester Regiments.

2nd Queens

2nd Queens had been waiting in the front line whilst the other units had been attacking the first objectives, and in the early afternoon they moved forward. A and C Coys moved up behind the Manchesters whilst B and D Coys moved to the right.

By a mixture of frontal attack and bombing their way up the trench from the right Fritz Trench fell to the Queens.

By 18:30 hrs 91st Brigade had reached its Secondary Objective.

Mametz had fallen and the new gained territory was consolidated with 20th Brigade who had fought their way around the village from the west.

The Division moved forward into an area called the Queen's Nullah in readiness to attack the next system of German Defence lines.

Mametz Wood