The Thiepval Memorial lies off the main Bapaume to Albert Road, and each year a service of remembrance is held on July 1^st.

On July 1st1916, supported by a French attack to the South, thirteen divisions of Commonwealth forces launched an offensive on a line from Gommecourt to Maricourt. Despite a preliminary bombardment lasting seven days, the German defenses were barely touched and the attack met with fierce resistance unexpectedly. Losses were catastrophic, and with only minimal advances an the Southern flank the initial advance was a failure. In the following weeks huge resources of manpower and equipment were deployed in order to exploit the modest successes of the first day.

However, the German Army resisted tenaciously and repeated attacks and counter-attacks meant a major battle for every village, copse and farmhouse gained.

At the end of September, Thiepval was finally captured. The village had been an original objective of July 1st. Attack north and east continued throughout October and November in increasingly difficult weather conditions.

The Battle of the Somme finally ended on the 18^thNovember with the onset of winter.

The Thiepval Memorial, the Memorial to the Missing of the Somme, bears the names of more than 72,000 officers and men of the United Kingdom and South African forces who died an the Somme sector before March 1918 and have no known grave.

Over 90% of those commemorated died between July and November, 1916

"Pray God that you may never know The Hell where youth and laughter go"
SiegfriedSassoon

The Commonwealth War  Graves Commission describes the reason for the building of the Thiepval Memorial factually, but behind those facts are the feelings, emotions and despair of mothers whose sons perished in the endless battles for every village, copse and farmhouse.

Private Wliiam Henry Garratt a farmers son, left his peaceful rural Derbyshire countryside to fight for his country.