10 Interesting facts about the fighting around Thiepval that you didn't know you didn't know.

1. Thiepval was the 6th largest village in the Somme region, consisting of 93 houses pre-1914.
2. The 7 day bombardment leading up to the 1st July destroyed the village, but created a perfect defensible position for the Germans who were able to create excellent machine gun positions from which they were able to enfilade the advancing 36th Ulster Division. One of these posts was named 'Thiepval Fort'.
3. The Ulster Division named other German strong points 'Lurgan', 'Strabane', 'Duncannon' and 'Lisnakith'.
4. The area around the Thiepval Chateau (site of the Thiepval Memorial) was tunred into a mound of reddish brick rubble and the gardens were turned into shell holes.
5. It was the task of the 32nd Division to take Thiepval. But as soon as they rose from their trenches at 07:30hrs they were hit by machine gun fire. The 16th Northumberland Fusiliers followed a football kicked by a famous footballer.
6. The Ulster Division advanced under cover of smoke fired by 4" Stokes Mortars, as well as the intensity of the allied bombardment. They reached the first line of German trenches with little problems, but on attempting to move towards the Schwaben Redoubt they took fire from German artillery as well as flanking fire from Thiepval cemetary. and then the rear as Germans rose from the cellars from within Thiepval itself.
7. The failure of 32nd Division to push on towards Thiepval, left the right flank of the Ulster Division vulnerable.
8. In the afternoon of the attack, 11th Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers reached the crucifix to the north east of Thiepval cemetery and the 9th Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers reached the Schwaben Redoubt but struggled to maintain their hold with Thiepval still in German hands.
9. The Ulster Division were awarded two V.C.'s for their part in the attack. Private W F McFadzean (14th Royal Irish Rifles) was awarded the V.C. for throwing himself on a box of bombs that had been dropped dislodging the pins from two of them. He saved the lives of several men from his unit in doing so. Temp. Captain E N F Bell (9th Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers) was in command of a trench mortar battery, but advanced with the infantry in the attack. On four occassions he took it upon himself to single handedly attack German positions with his pistol and grenades and clear the way for the Regiment to advance. When out of bombs he stood tall shooting his rifle at the advancing enemy. He was killed rallying infantry parties which had lost officers.
10. On 2nd July 1916, the Ulster Division was taken out of the line having suffered 5,500 casualties.