Richebourg-l'Avoué

Richebourg-l'Avoué Part of the Western Front, World War I Richebourg-l'Avoué area, 1914–1916 Date September 1914–1916 Location Artois, France Coordinates: 50°34′19″N 2°44′41″E / 50.57194°N 2.74472°E / 50.57194; 2.74472 Belligerents  British Empire  Germany Commanders and leaders Douglas Haig General Erich von Falkenhayn Strength 3 battalions Casualties and losses 1,366 Richbourg (Boar's Head) Richebourg-l'Avoué, commune in the Pas-de-Calais department of northern France

Battle of the Somme Battles of the Somme, 1916 Albert Montauban Mametz Fricourt Contalmaison La Boisselle Gommecourt Bazentin Ridge Longueval Trônes Wood Ovillers Fromelles High Wood Delville Wood Pozières Mouquet Farm Guillemont Ginchy Flers–Courcelette Martinpuich Morval Combles Lesbœufs Gueudecourt Thiepval Ridge Transloy Ridges Eaucourt Le Sars Butte de Warlencourt Ancre Heights Schwaben Redoubt Stuff Redoubt Regina Trench Ancre Beaumont Hamel Associated articles Order of Battle Mines on the first day of the Somme Boar's Head First day on the Somme Leipzig salient Lochnagar mine Y Sap mine Hawthorn Ridge Redoubt Thiepval Memorial Ancre, 1917 Western Front Belgium Halen Liège Dinant Namur Frontiers Charleroi Mons Great Retreat 1st Marne 1st Aisne Antwerp Race to the Sea Yser 1st Ypres Winter operations 1st Artois 1st Champagne Hartmannswillerkopf Neuve Chapelle 2nd Ypres 2nd Artois 2nd Champagne Loos 3rd Artois Verdun Somme Alberich Arras 2nd Aisne Hills Messines 3rd Ypres (Passchendaele) La Malmaison 1st Cambrai Spring Michael Lys 3rd Aisne 2nd Marne Hundred Days Amiens

Richebourg-l'Avoué is a village and former commune in the Pas-de-Calais region of France. It was merged with Richebourg-Saint-Vaast to form the commune of Richebourg on 21 February 1971.^[1] Miliary operations began in the area during September 1914, when the opposing armies made several reciprocal attempt to outflank their opponent to the north during the Race to the Sea (17 September – 19 October).

Operations continued in 1914 at the Battle of La Bassée (10 October – 2 November) and in 1915, during the Battle of Neuve Chapelle (10–13 March 1915) and the Battle of Festubert (15–25 May).

An attack was planned for part of the 39th Division to capture the Boar's Head, a German salient near Richebourg-l'Avoué, on 30 June 1916, as part of the effort made by the armies north of the Somme, to support the offensive by harassing the Germans opposite. From 1 July – 18 November, 310 raids were made on the German lines by the Third, First and Second armies. Two battalions of the 116th Brigade with one battalion for carrying parties, attacked the German front position on 30 June. The British took the German front line trench and the second trench for several hours before retiring, having lost 1,366 casualties.

1916

Battle of the Boar's Head

The attack on the Boar's Head was fought on 30 June 1916, to divert German attention from the Battle of the Somme which began on 1 July. The attack was conducted by the 11th, 12th and 13th (Southdowns) Battalions of the Royal Sussex Regiment, part of the 116th Southdowns Brigade of the 39th Division (Major-General G. J. Cuthbert). The preliminary bombardment and wire-cutting by the artillery commenced on the afternoon of 29 June and was reported to be very effective. The final bombardment commenced shortly before 3:00 a.m. and the 12th and 13th battalions went over the top (most for the first time) shortly afterwards, the 11th Battalion providing carrying parties. The guns lifted their fire off the German front trench and put down an intense barrage in support. The infantry reached the German trenches, bombing and bayoneting their way into the German front line trench and held it for some four hours.^[2]

The second trench was captured and held for about half an hour, during which several counter-attacks were repulsed and then the raiders withdrew, because of a shortage of ammunition and mounting casualties. The German support position was not reached by the infantry, because the German defensive tactics included shelling trenches where the British had gained a foothold.^[2] In fewer than five hours the three Southdowns Battalions of the Royal Sussex lost 17 officers and 349 men killed, including 12 sets of brothers, three from one family. CSM Nelson Victor Carter was awarded a Victoria Cross (posthumous) for his actions in the battle. A further 1,000 men were wounded or taken prisoner. In the regimental history it is known as "The Day Sussex Died". The corps commander looked upon the attack as a raid and considered it to be successful.^[3]

Commemoration

The Le Touret Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery and memorial is sited here. It was begun in November 1914 by the Indian Corps (in particular by the 2nd Leicesters), remaining in use until the end of the war (barring a time in German hands from April–August 1918); the Le Touret Memorial is part of the cemetery. The Rue-des-Berceaux CWGC Cemetery is also sited here and includes the burial site of New Zealand tennis player Tony Wilding.^[4]

Footnotes

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Richebourg-l'Avoué.

• Richebourg 1916
• Old Front Line Battlefields of WW1, Boar's Head
• The day Sussex died
• CWGC essay The Battle of the Boar's Head
• CWGC website
• Find-a-Grave