View of the South African Memorial in Delville Wood, Longueval, France. © 2013 John M. Shea
"On July 15[, 1916], the fight for Delville Wood began, the first of fifteen days' hand-to-hand fighting and ferocious artillery bombardments. The battle started when the 3,000 strong South African Brigade, of which Hugh Boustead was a part, was ordered to capture the wood. 'We moved forward through an orchard in single file, led by the platoon officer,' he later recalled. 'Smith, the Second Lieutenant, got through but the next seven who followed him were shot dead in a circle of a few yards, picked off by clean shooting without a murmur.'"
British and French forces launched the Battle of the Somme on July 1, 1916, the British and Empire forces north of the Somme River, the French to the south. The French advanced rapidly on the first day, their ally more slowly and suffering terrible losses. On July 15, the British attacked at High Wood as the Union of South Africa troops began the assault at Delville Wood.
The First World War, a Complete History by Martin Gilbert, pp. 265-266, copyright © 1994 by Martin Gilbert, publisher: Henry Holt and Company, publication date: 1994
1916-07-15, 1916, July, Delville, Delville Wood, South Africa, South African Memorial, Union of South Africa
