Sunken Lane

[Phanerozoic1]

Most of those men would've died that day.

[MrSlhunt]

Just been to Beaumont Hamel and the sunken lane again to pay my respects.

[THthefirst]

I was there - at that exact spot - yesterday. It was a very mournful day, with a cloudy sky. There was no one else around. There were a couple of photos of soldiers, placed by their families no doubt, on the bank.

I read Andrew Motion's beautiful poem, "The Death of Harry Patch" and am not ashamed to admit I shed tears.

[roytheboy65]

my great grandad pte James Healey was one of them died 1/7/1916. rip

[axlefish]

In the final 15 seconds you can see a man lying down facing the camera talking to an officer who is also lying down with his back to the camera. He is a bomber whos lips have been read. He is saying "I hope they have the right place if not i am going to bomb them and leave" just been there last week

[Thewoodmiester]

the actual road is still there and you can see where our boys tunnelled into it from across the fields.

[glynnboo71]

well its hard to put words to that clip.....so i think i will leave it there..........:(

[yellowhornet600]

I was there in july. There is a track at the side that leads to a small cemetery. There were poppies growing. Very piognant.

[khisanth75]

I visited this sunken lane last month. very picturesque now.

[XIndieXElectroXPunkX]

this is so sad..=*[ i went there 3 days ago in France to see where this was taken from and to find out that it was running with blood down that lane....its just so sad....it just looks like a quiet little country lane now and i went to the massive crater at Hawthorne Ridge and it was just so big its unbelievable =[ r.i.p....~<3

[crunterstamps]

When all the Lousy Arms Dealers get together and decide that the Working "classes" should Kill each other so those Animals can make more Profit.Yes,it is STILL happening today,and will continue,until We rid the world of PRIVATIZATION once and for all

[mralan1969]

You know, nothing was learned from WW1- the war to end all wars. All the religions today still hate each other and always will. 1916 or 2008 it's still exactly the same. Nothings changed. We are all still killing each other.

[mralan1969]

PS....Beaumont Hamel is a spooky place. I was there last year. You can look at the trenches and the shell holes. Shivers down the spine time.

[shezhunting]

Sat out at midnight and wondered if those lost souls would meet; the silence was deafening. It was moonless and jet black.

Awesome

[seamonkey41]

I have just been to the sunken road this week came back yesterday, Beaumont hamel is indeed a sad place.

I believe these are lancashire fusiliers in the film.

[23doook]

Thanks for this video i have been there and you can see (if u understand and imagine quite hard) what enemy positions they were facing and what little chance they had.

[BritVet]

If this is the Accrington Pals (11th Battalion, The East Lancashire Regiment)then although they suffered heavy losses they were not wiped out at all. Of approx 700 men who went over the top at zero hour, 235 were killed and 350 wounded. The battalion was brought back up to strength and served throughout the remainder of the war.

[MpLMx]

BrivVet, I recall reading on other site that the entirey Lancashire Regiment was killed in action.

Actually some other comments on this particular video suggest that all of them died immediately after going over the top towards the german lines. What do you think?

[mistral55]

@BritVet ....I think you'll find this was actually "B" Company ,16th Lancashire Fusiliers, The Eccles Pals. (part of the Salford Pals Battalions. Theres a very good Pen & Sword publication with stills showing exactly the same scenes and people.

[Bullettube]

Every war seems to imortalise a common piece of ground.

At Sharpsburg in the American civil war it was a cornfield and a sunken road. At Gettysburg it was a peach orchard. In each case it was human blood and sacrfice that consecrated the ground.

[bullseye2121]

im from lancashire and have lived here all my life, just shows the sacrafice they gave for the ppl of today to be free.

[Llaner]

you may notice that quite a few of the men are smileing this is because of friendship. That is what kept most men alive Frindship.

[AdrianGlasgow]

the ones who were smiling were the mortar crews who would have survived to fight another day. cont...

[gbyrne]

whithin the next two hours every single man in this unit was dead!

[jackaldot70]

i went to beaumont hamel last year, still preserved trenches and battlefield. extremely moving but still hard to imagine.

[B2091]

there was a documentary on this year about the anniversary of the somme showing this excat same unit they brought a woman who was a expert lip reader and although in that clip it doesnt show it there were 2 soldiers talking and she translated them saying "i hope were not in the wrong place when this kicks off because i dont want to get"

they researched the unit and found out that when they went over the top every single man in that unit was killed. So that footage is there last hour alive.

[cantina]

Do you have it? cause then you could uploa it here!

[AdrianGlasgow]

I saw it as well, it was really sad, I dont have the footage but its scary hearing long silent voices. WW1 was such a damned shame.

[chickenlampbrent]

My grandfather was Co. Sgt. Major of the Lancs. The first wave got caught up in the wire and the second and third waves melted into the first. He took two in the chest but lived. Losses were nearly 100% but not everyone died. Beaumont Hamel was where the Royal Newfoundland regiment (Canada) was wiped out. Out of about 750 men only 115 or so answered the roster next day. Many communities in NFLd were destroyed, they were all brothers and cousins and such. Are you sure you're not thinking of that?