When the Battle of the Somme ended in November, the British had suffered 420,000 casualties, the French 195,000 and the Germans around 650,000. The Brigades first battle casualty was Major E A Leather O.C B Company 27th Battalion. The casualties of the Tyneside Irish Brigade on 1st July 1916 were tremendous but it is sad to relate that the majority of those who died were never identified, and lie in unmarked graves. the Thiepval Memorial to the missing records the names of 73,412 men who died in 1916 - 18 and who have no known graves. Of those men the highest number of missing from any one regiment is 2,931 Northumberland Fusiliers. Of this total 514 are original other ranks of the Tyneside Irish Battalions who died between the 1st and 4th of July 1916. This figure is only exceeded by the Tyneside Scottish Brigade, with 590 missing.
The Tyneside Irish Brigade was a British First World War infantry brigade of Kitchener's Army, raised in 1914. Officially numbered the 103rd (Tyneside Irish) Brigade, it contained four Pals battalions from Newcastle upon Tyne, largely made up of men of Irish extraction. (Another Newcastle brigade — the 102nd (Tyneside Scottish) — contained Tynesiders with Scottish connections).
The brigade's four battalions were known as the 1st to 4th Tyneside Irish. When taken over by the British Army, these became battalions of the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers
1st Jul 1916. Advancing at the same time as the main attack, the brigade started from the reserve trenches on the Tara-Usna Line. The four battalions, marching in extended line (from left to right; the 2nd, 3rd, 1st and 4th), advanced down into Avoca Valley and then up the other side to the British front-line trench. From there they had to cross no man's land, pass through the German front-line and advance to their objectives. However, the main attack was an almost complete failure and the Tyneside Irish were utterly exposed to the machine guns of the German defences. The brigade suffered heavy casualties even before its battalions reached the British front-line. Opposite La Boisselle the brigade was halted but on the right, elements of the 1st and 4th battalions were able to advance up 'Sausage Valley' and pass through the German front-line. Two small parties met up behind the German support trench and pushed on towards their objective of Contalmaison. Their effort was in vain as they were eventually killed or captured. The 1st battalion suffered 620 casualties on 1 July (18 officers and 602 other ranks), its commander, Lieutenant Colonel L.M. Howard, was among the dead. The 4th battalion suffered 539 casualties (20 officers and 519 other ranks). The commanders of the 2nd and 3rd battalions were both wounded, as was the brigade commander, Brigadier General N.J.G. Cameron. The brigade's losses on 1 July were so severe that on the 6th, it, along with the 102nd (Tyneside Scottish) Brigade, was transferred to the 37th Division, swapping with the 112th Brigade. The two brigades returned to the 34th Division on 22 August. In February 1918 the 1st, 3rd and 4th Tyneside Irish battalions were disbanded and the remaining battalion, the 2nd, was transferred to the 116th Brigade of the 39th Division. From then on the Tyneside Irish Brigade ceased to exist and the brigade was simply the 103rd Brigade.
On the right of the main road was the 34th Division made up for the most part of men from the Tyneside. However their boundary stretched across the main road from the crossroads (near their monument) and up along the road that leads towards Ovillers Military Cemetery on the left. The Tyneside Monument marks the front line and this would also have been the point where the two opposing lines were at their closest on the III Corps front. With the village still capably defended the Tyneside Scots and Irish were badly punished in no man’s land. Pressing on with great gallantry most fell before reaching the German front line.
The seat is on the right of the road as it enters the village from Albert. If the bushes are not too overgrown there is a short inscription on the rear of the monument which explains how the land has been donated by the commune to the honour and memory of the men from the two brigades. Just across to your right and in the field (Which is private) you can easily make out the remains of the Glory Hole.