Devonshire Cemetery

This cemetery is named after the Devonshire Regiment and the soldiers who were slain here on July 1, 1916. Duncan Martin was the Captain of the 9th Battalion Devonshire Regiment. Captain Martin led his men into battle on July 1, 1916 the first day of the Battle of the Somme, one of the largest and bloodiest battles of the First World War.
Martin had predicted that the German machine gun in the shrine located about a mile from their trenche would cause serious problems and kill many men during the attack. Captain Martin was aware that the German machine gunners would have a clear view of his men when they began the attack across the No-Mans-Land toward the German Front Line. He had gone as far as making up a plasticine model of the area and shown it to his superiors - who took little notice. He was told to move forward with the attack.
Within the first ten minutes of the attack, half the battlion had been killed. Captain Martin was among one of the many soldiers to die on July 1, 1916. The most upsetting aspect of this cemetery is to think about the entire village that was affected by the death of so many of their men. The Devonshire Regiment was a pals battalion, which meant it was created by region. The Devonshire Cemetery contains 163 Commonwealth burials of the First World War, ten of which are unidentified.
Before entering the Cemetery there is a plaque which states: The Devonshires held this trech, the Devonshires hold it still. These soldiers obeyed orders until their death and are buried in the trench where they rest today.

Caitlin Brice