1916

January 1

Boxing Day was enlivened for the Westmorland and Cumberland Yeomanry in Kendal when a number of their horses stampeded during watering at Longlands. Most of them returned quietly of their own accord, but some galloped through Highgate and Aynam Road, while others charged up Windermere Road to be halted at the closed level crossing gates at Staveley. Two of the troopers had to have cuts stitched.

Christmas in the Workhouse in Kendal saw the annual dinner of roast beef and golden pudding. The sick and lunacy wards and the dining room were tastefully decorated in green and gold. Mottoes read, ‘We celebrate our Saviour’s birth’ and ‘Success to our Allied Forces’. The fact that it was Christmas as usual was much appreciated by the inmates.

January 8

One of the last battles of the old year was not fought on the Front but in the Pump Yard at Far Cross Bank in Kendal, between two ‘ladies’. Being neighbours, they shared the wash-house and began to quarrel. They passed from pleasantries to insults and to offensive operations. One wielded a potato masher and drew blood from her rival’s skull. She was fined by the magistrates.

January 15

Gazette comment - ‘The fact that the Allies have finally withdrawn from Gallipoli does not justify the conclusion that they ought never to have gone there. They landed where it was believed a landing was impossible and maintained themselves in spite of fierce opposition. The turning point in the campaign was when the British attack was suspended within sight of success. The decision went against us not because the natural obstacles were too strong but because the British general who ordered the suspension was too weak’.

January 22

War Report - The Germans now have military control of Turkey, Bulgaria, Serbia, Montenegro, Austria-Hungary, Belgium, Russia, Poland and a third of France.

A young lady aged 18 wrote to the chief recruiting officer saying that she wanted to enlist.

‘I am very strong and willing to take any ordinary soldier’s part. I would not in the least mind wearing trousers and big boots. I have big feet and hands. I always wanted to be a boy before the war and am willing to rough it. Please don’t let me be passed by’. Her patriotism was applauded and she was advised to join the Red Cross.

February 12

Germany reported the sinking of the British light cruiser H.M.S. Caroline by a bomb in the Humber. It was a complete lie. No ships of any size were struck by a bomb there.

February 19

The evening service at Langdale Church was changed from 6.30pm to 5.30pm at the wish of the congregation to hold services in daylight and thus minimize the danger of possible zeppelin raids - in Langdale!

War Report - North of Vic-sur-Aisne our artillery dispersed some enemy detachments which had advanced as far as our barbed-wire entanglements. To the north-east of Soissons the Germans were able, after a bombardment, to reach our trenches in the neighbourhood of the Crony road. A counter-atttack promptly drove them out. The enemy left some dead on the field and we made some prisoners of which one was an officer.

February 26

Private Cannon of Kendal was wounded in the right thigh by an explosive bullet during a heavy bombardment at St Julien. As he lay in the trench the Germans sprang up on three sides, leapt over the parapet and finished off the few remaining defenders. Some Germans began to go through the pockets of the dead men but had to leave the trench as it was under the fire of the Allied guns. Cannon began to crawl to a place of safety but was hit in the left shoulder by a sniper. He lost consciousness several times and came round lying in front of a German trench on a beautiful afternoon. He received a shell splinter in his knee while lying there and the Germans seemed to regard his presence with indifference although he managed to get a drink of water and, later, an officer brought him some coffee. Ultimately he was removed with other prisoners to Roulers where his wounds were treated.

War Report - The new German offensive on the Western Front is intended to gain the French fortress line with the aim of opening the road to Paris. They will spare nothing to effect that purpose.

March 4

When a German position was mined the explosion blew a soldier high into the air and he dropped, breathless but undamaged, into the British lines. He said, ‘Well, you’ve got me now but in the next war I’ll join a Flying Corps!’ War Report - Germany has begun a fresh offensive with a fierce attempt to take Verdun. Fighting was intense and the enemy fought to a standstill.

March 11

A Victoria Cross was awarded to Private Harry Christian of Ulverston for conspicuous bravery. He was holding a crater with five or six other men in front of the trenches. A very heavy bombardment of the position began with minenwerfer bombs forcing a temporary withdrawal. He then found three men were missing and returned alone to the crater amid continual bursting. On the edge of the crater he found, dug out and carried the three men, one by one, to safety saving their lives. He then placed himself where he could see bombs coming and directed his comrades when and where to seek cover. The flag was flown on Lowick day school in his honour. He had been a pupil in the school and the scholars marched past, saluting the flag.

War Report - The battle was extremely severe during the first few days of the Verdun offensive. The Germans hurled themselves on our lines in serried masses which were mown down by our ‘75s’ and machine guns. Our troops were heroic. The situation turned to our advantage. We occupied impregnable positions and the German attacks were in vain. The slopes which we dominated were covered with the bodies of the enemy. We are everywhere superior in numbers and material and our losses cannot be compared with those of the enemy.

March 18

Dr Noble of Kendal, who was responsible for the medical examination of all the recruits in the town, was house-bound for eight weeks due to overwork during the rush of men to enlist.

April 15

Private Gilmour of the Army Ordnance Corps was asleep on a train to Glasgow. Around Grayrigg he awoke and opened the carriage door thinking it was to the corridor and fell out. Dazed and bleeding, he made his way to a signal box and the signalman sent a message to Tebay to bring aid. He suffered from some severe cuts and shock. After attention he was able to continue his journey.

A Lighting Restriction Order came into force for the whole of Westmorland. The subduing of all lights in times of darkness was made compulsory. In streets only the lamps the police considered essential were to remain on. Lighting in shops was to be reduced so that no more than a dull subdued light was visible from outside. Windows, skylights and glass doors had to be screened so that no more than a dull subdued light was visible from any direction. In factories and workshops the roof areas and windows had to be obscured and lighting reduced to the minimum necessary for safe working conditions. The penalty for contravening the Order was £200 or six months imprisonment.

April 29

A young army horse purchased by a butcher in Allhallows Lane turned restive, swerved across the street and backed the cart into a shop window, completely demolishing the glass. The shop owner was standing at the shop door at the time the affair occurred so suddenly that he had no time to move.

May 6

War Report - The French had won a new success on the Verdun Front resulting in the capture of a German position, taking four machine guns and a hundred men with the trenches. On the British Front, the Germans made another gas attack which was a costly fiasco for them. The gas rolled back over the enemy’s trenches for nearly two miles over a front of a thousand yards, and the Germans flew from their trenches in the rear. They appear to have suffered many casualties from the gas and the British guns.

An advertisement by a milking machine manufacturer claimed that, with their equipment ‘Three girls milked 76 cows!!!’ May 13 Concern was expressed in Parliament over the insurrection in Ireland. private W. Brown of Ingleton was involved in the fighting there. he had two bullets through his hand and was wounded in the leg.

The Summer time Bill before Parliament for daylight saving provided for local time to one hour in advance of Greenwich time. It was to operated in 1916 from May 21 to October 1 and could continue in subsequent years by Order in Council.

May 20

Captain H. Podmore of Grange, with the 6th Northamptonshire Regiment, was awarded the D.S.O. The division of which his battalion was a part was violently bombarded and attacked for two or three consecutive weeks and despite heavy casualties the enemy was severely held.

War Report - There was a good deal of fighting on both sides of the Meuse, the Germans first attacking on the east bank and then on the west with no success. The enemy claimed to have repulsed French attacks. On the French Front the comparative lull at Verdun continued but in Champagne a heavy German bombardment and simultaneous small attacks were all fruitless. Apart from artillery activity on both sides of the Meuse, French air squadrons dropped a large number of bombs on railway stations.

May 27

The unfortunate Coniston soldier, Private Robert Wilkinson had been injured at Tidworth and underwent several operations and was then attacked by scarlet fever!

June 3

The children of the elementary schools in Kendal held their swimming gala at the Corporation Baths to a packed audience of spectators.

The King visited the hospital ship ‘Asturius’ in Southampton which had just arrived with many wounded soldiers. His Majesty chatted with many of the men and expressed hopes for their speedy recovery. In 1915 the shop had been unsuccessfully attacked by a German submarine.

Seven sick and wounded soldiers arrived in Kendal by ambulance train from Southampton and were taken to the VAD Hospital in Stramongate. No local men were among the patients.

Private John Fawcett of Old Hutton had been reported missing after an engagement in 1915 but was now officially reported killed in action. He was a promising young man, quiet, unassuming and kind.

June 10

Mr and Mrs J. Sharp offered their Bleasdale House in Silverdale as a convalescent hospital for wounded soldiers and the offer was accepted. Nursing was to be undertaken by members of the Carnforth Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD).

A man was summonsed for neglecting to give audible warning when riding a motor-cycle and sidecar round a corner at a speed of nine miles per hour!

Sir Ernest Shackleton’s Antarctic expedition on the ship ‘Endurance’ which was stuck fast in ice at the end of 1914 reached Port Stanley in the Falkland Islands.

Lord Kitchener died on board ‘HMS Hampshire’ when it was sunk by a mine or torpedo.

A great naval battle took place off the coast of Jutland resulting in the loss of eight destroyers, three battle cruisers and two cruisers. The ‘Warrior’ was disabled and had to be abandoned by the crew. The enemy’s losses were serious, being 18 ships.

June 24

A letter from a Langdale soldier said: ‘During the last few days there has been exciting news here near Verdun with the fierce battle along this front, the naval battle and the sinking of the ‘Hampshire’. The battle here seems to be the worst since the start of the war and both sides have sustained heavy losses. I believe the Hun is feeling the pressure and that the Allies will make headway before long. Some out here are gloomy about the death of Kitchener’.

July 1

Lieut A.C. Banks, of Kendal, fell while serving with the Royal Welsh Fusiliers. One of the largest mines yet used by either side exploded at Givenchy Hill. The enemy infantry then began to attack followed by heavy hand-to-hand fighting. Within fifteen minutes of reaching the Allies’ front line they were thrown back and caught by machine gun and artillery fire. Lieut banks, age 20, was killed in the action.

July 8

W. Martindale, of Kendal, died of wounds in France. He had been in the 2nd Border Regiment for two years and landed in France at the end of 1915. He had two other brothers in the Regiment.

Private T. Thompson, of Appleby, was reported missing in mid-1915 in the Gallipoli campaign and, as nothing further was heard of him, he was reported as dead.

Lieut S.T. Gardner, RE, of Kendal, was killed in action in Bulgaria. Orders were received to wire in a new trench at rather an awkward salient. A line was put up despite constant machine-gun fire. During the night he went to strengthen the position by throwing a wire over it and was stalked by a German who shot him at close range, severing the artery in his leg. Three of his men went to help him and applied a tourniquet but he was dead before he could be got into the trench.

Sergt. Gilbert Hogg, of Kendal, died while fighting with the Lonsdales. A shell was seen to explode and he was taken away by stretcher but died at the spot. He was a keen soldier from his earliest days.

Corporal Frederick Edmondson of Silverdale, was killed while serving with the Royal Rifle Brigade. A shell struck the dugout where he was, bursting it in and causing instantaneous death.

Lance Corporal G. Cragg of Longsleddale, with the Lonsdales, was killed while carrying out a very hazardous duty. he lingered for about an hour but was never conscious after being hit.

The death of Private R. Shorrock, of Kendal, serving with the Canadian Expeditionary Force, was reported. He had been in the trenches for six months. It is not known how he met his death. His mate said he did not suffer much.

War Report - An attack was launched north of the River Somme in conjunction with the French. British troops broke into the German forward system of defence on a front of sixteen miles. Fighting continued and 15,000 German prisoners were taken.

July 15

Two Kendal men, brothers in different regiments, were passing through a village, one battalion on its way to the trenches and the other returning from them. The brothers caught sight of each other and were able to have a short time together during the halt, sharing a cake from their mother.

A Kendal man in the Durhams was in charge of a machine-gun. They were told to advance and moved over the top, most of them smoking. The enemy’s Maxim fire rained round them. Early on he was hit in the arm but as it did not seem to be much he carried on. Suddenly, he saw a village as big as Staveley blown up by British mines. In the trenches that they took were heaps of German dead. He counted seventy who fell to his party’s guns alone. The German barbed wire tore their clothes and scratched them in a beastly way. He then got a piece of shrapnel in the hand of his uninjured arm and that put him out of action. He had to travel back six miles, much of it through heavy fire, to a dressing station.

War Report - The Germans are seeing the initiative on the whole Front passing from their hands to those of the Allies. Harassed on every side, they are endeavouring to secure success but the French staff are wisely resolved to hold without being diverted to fresh objectives.

July 22

Private Granville Musson, of Kendal, was killed by a piece of shrapnel.

Sergt. Walter (Togo) Dixon, of the Pals, was reported missing and was last seen fighting valiantly in a German trench. He was faced by heavy odds and there was no-one to give him a hand as they were all fully occupied. It is thought he was wounded in the thigh.

The members of the Westmorland Motor Cycle Club organised an outing to Keswick for wounded soldiers in the Kendal VAD Hospital. Although it was very wet at the start, the day was a success.

The Somme Campaign casualty list this week: Monday - 684 officers and 2,430 other ranks.

Canadian, Australian, Newfoundland and South African total 313 Tuesday - 289 officers and 1,891 other ranks.

Canadian total 951 Wednesday - 77 officers and 1,314 other ranks.

Australian and South African total 333 Thursday - 145 officers and 2,456 other ranks.

Canadian total 459 July 29 There was a change in the weather resulting in a period of hot, sunshiny weather with a light breeze, great for haymaking in Westmorland.

The Home Office issued an appeal urging the public to support the shops and business of men who had, themselves or their assistants, joined the Forces and to avoid transferring their patronage to other establishments.

August 8

Private John Jennings, of the Pals, was last seen taking cover in a shell hole and was afterwards reported missing.

Private F.W. (Eric) Armstrong, of the Pals, was wounded on the Somme and removed to Rouen Hospital where he died.

Private Harold Leck, of the Pals, was wounded in the leg by a piece of shrapnel. He had four brothers, two fighting in France and two training in England.

A horse belonging to a waggoner had been put out to grass in a meadow at the head of Esthwaite Water and got stuck in swampy ground. It took a large number of men to extricate it and it suffered from exhaustion.

War Report - On the second anniversary of the war, General Joffre’s Order of the Day to his troops read: ‘For two years you have supported without faltering the burden of the implacable struggle. You have defeated all the plans of the enemy at Marne the Yser, Artois and Champagne. By your victorious resistance during the past five months the battle has broken the German effort at Verdun. The moment approaches when, under our common impetus, the German military power will completely give way. Victory is certain’.

August 12

War Report - The battle of the Somme goes slowly but continues to go against the enemy. The French are gaining ground again in the Verdun region. In Galicia the Russians are making steady headway. The Italians have taken Goritzia and in Egypt the Turkish advance on the Suez Canal has been dealt with faithfully. There have been no setbacks for the Allies who are increasing the pressure on the enemy daily.

The Grasmere Rushbearing took place in ideal weather. There was no band to accompany the procession this year.

Corporal Frank Wallace, of the Kendal Pals, was awarded the Military Medal for distinguished conduct. With modesty, he said that there were nine honours in the Brigade so he had not done badly to get one for Kendal. The Pals were again in the thick of the fighting, making night attacks and gaining a lot of ground. Frank’s nephew, Private R. Wallace, also in the Pals, died in action.

August 19

When the King was inspecting a part of the field over which the Battle of the Somme was fought, he came across the graves of men who fell on the first day of the battle. On one he read the names of Privates Goulder and Pennington of the Border Regiment. On it lay a steel helmet with a hole in it made by a shell splinter which killed the wearer. Usually, a steel helmet would protect against shrapnel, a glancing rifle bullet or machine-gun pellet.

A letter had been sent to the mother of Private William James Taylor of Leasgill to say that he had been killed in action. Then, a week or so later, she received a letter form him telling her that he was alive. He had been shot, but not badly, and had been able to get to base, taking four days to do so. She was naturally overjoyed.

Lieut Colonel J. Swainson, DSO, of Kendal, died of wounds. He had a distinguished career, starting his service with the Lancashire Fusiliers in the Boer War. On the outbreak of war he was transferred to the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry and went to the Ypres salient in France, being in the attack on Hooge. He commanded the battalion for six months when its commander had been wounded, and then formed a Military School of Instruction. He was given the command of the 1/4th King’s Own Royal Lancaster Regiment which moved to Albert where he was wounded in the front trenches and died in a clearing hospital.

August 26

A ‘stunning’ picture was shown at the Kendal Kinema which fed the public’s patriotic desire to see war-time fighting. It purported to depict, in a startling manner, the invasion of America by a navy, battering new York to pieces, aeroplanes raining death on crowds, and foreign soldiers killing and looting. A huge peace meeting promoted by a millionaire was broken up by a shell and his wife killed her daughter and herself to avoid disgrace. What more could anyone want?

There were 24,039 casualties on the Somme in four days this week.

September 2

Private G. Baines of Kendal, in the Manchester Regiment, was awarded the Military Medal for bravery in the field. There were six men with a machine gun, four of whom were wounded. Baines turned the gun on the Germans killing three and wounding two. When within twenty yards of their own trenches he was wounded in the head and taken to hospital in London. His father was a well-known member of the Kendal Hornets.

September 9

The casualties in June were - 1,740 officers and 29,764 other ranks July were - 7,071 officers and 52,001 other ranks August were - 4,693 officers and 123,097 other ranks.

The full total in August of 127,790 was more than equal to the number of men in the whole British Expeditionary Force when it originally landed in France. These figures do not include 13,803 reported missing.

September 16

War Report - During intermittent hostile shelling by the enemy at Ancre, the Allied artillery destroyed some enemy gun pits and set fire to an ammunition store. Some 50 prisoners were taken. During aerial fighting one Allied plane collided with a hostile plane causing it to fall out of control, disappearing down into the clouds. The Allied plane returned safely. A hostile machine was brought down in Flanders near Pozieres. Two Allied planes failed to return. On the Somme Front there was a fierce struggle north of the river on the French section with pronounced success for the French.

September 23

Owing to the darkened streets and the shortage of labour, Kendal milkmen considered suspending the night delivery of milk during the winter months.

The places of business in Bowness and Windermere were closed for the autumn holiday and a large number of residents went off for the day by train.

Four workmen were killed in an explosion at the Elterwater Gunpowder Works. The cause was a mystery.

The Manager of the Red Lion Hotel in Grasmere was summonsed for not having his premises darkened as required under the Defence of the Realm Act. Light from the hotel lit up trees about fifteen yards away. The Manager said that the girls must have forgotten to draw the blinds.

September 30

Private Tom Fleming Wilson, of Grasmere, with the Machine Gun Corps, died of his wounds in France. He was on the first caterpillar tank to go over in advance of the infantry. He was badly wounded in the leg and it was found necessary to amputate above the knee. At first it seemed that he would recover but he died just one week after the attack and a few days after his 28th birthday.

The possibility of forming War Savings Associations in each of the Kendal schools was discussed.

October 7

The Battle of the Somme continued relentlessly and the Chief of Staff said, “We want more men now”.

October 14

Private W. Furness of Grayrigg, was wounded by a machine-gun bullet in the Battle of Thiepval. He joined the Guards at the age of 19 and had only been in France for three weeks before being wounded.

War Report - Forty Allied aeroplanes raided the Mauser rifle factory in South Germany and dropped four tons of bombs on them. Six German planes were brought down. The Germans claimed to have destroyed nine Allied machines.

October 21

James Holme of Staveley, a Private in the Border Regiment, was charged with being absent without leave. He was seen at home by a policeman and said in his defence that he had lost his pass. He should have been back in camp but did not feel too well so he started back a day late. He left the train at Lancaster to see friends and missed the last train for the port of embarkation so he returned to Staveley. He said that he had sent a letter to the army authorities and that he had been given extended leave but there was no proof of that. He was remanded for an escort to catch a train but it had been cancelled so he missed getting to the port.

The star war film, ‘The Battle of the Somme’ was shown at Kendal Kinema. Four houses were packed and people who were turned away from one showing appeared in the queue ready for the next. The reviewer of the film said that it was packed with thrilling scenes and deeds of the army in the great advance and that no Briton could see the film and remain unmoved.

October 28

Sergt-Instructor McGarr died after a long illness. He enlisted into the Border Regiment at the age of 18 and was stationed in Ireland. After completing 21 years of service he left and joined the Volunteer Battalion as an Instructor to the Grasmere and Langdale Company. He held the appointment until he was obliged to retire on reaching the age limit. His cheery disposition and conscientious discharge of his duties made him a great favourite. When war broke out, in response to the appeal for retired non-commissioned officers as instructors to the new army, he rendered good service and was promoted to the rank of Sergeant-Major. Under the strain his health broke down and he had to take his discharge. He was buried with full military honours.

November 4

It was reported that, since the beginning of the war, 3,999 British civilians had been killed or drowned by the enemy and 1,693 had been injured. German losses at sea or in the air were unknown at this time.

Sergt. H. Irwin, RSLL, of Elterwater, was awarded the Military Medal for conspicuous bravery in the field. He received a gunshot wound in the left arm during the ‘big push’ and after spending nine weeks in a hospital in France he returned to the Front and was again engaged in successful fighting.

Private H. Webster of Kendal wrote home: ‘Nine of us were standing in a trench when a shell came over right among us and laid us all out. I got laid out for five minutes. it killed three and wounded five of us. I was hit in the eye by a piece of shrapnel but it merely broke the skin. I was unconscious for ten minutes. My eye is still pretty sore but it will be better soon. We took the trench and held it until we were relieved. I think the Germans are about fed up. They came over to meet us with their hands up and we took more prisoners than we had men ourselves.’ November 11 War Report - The French occupied the whole village of Vaux. The fort and village are now in the hands of the French. After weeks of some of the stubbornest fighting in history the Germans are yielding in a day, ground which they occupied five months ago, and sustaining losses which put division after division of the finest German infantry out of action.

Notices seen in the small advertisements on the front page of The Gazette: ‘Will the person who took a Brussels carpet from the Kendal Market Hall on Friday or Saturday last, return it to Derome & Co.’ ‘The Annual Shepherds’ Meet will be held in the Dun Bull Hotel, Mardale.’ ‘Wanted at the term, a clean tidy Girl for a farm house at Endmoor.’ The heavy rains in October had the striking result in causing Thirlmere Lake to be full to overflowing for the first time in two years.

November 18

When the German outposts crept out of their dugouts in the mist in the morning on the West Front, and stretched their necks to look for the English, their blood was chilled in their veins. Two mysterious monsters were crawling towards them over the craters. Stunned as if an earthquake had burst around them, they were fascinated by the fabulous creatures. Here was some devilry which the brain of man had invented with powerful mechanical forces. The monsters approached slowly, hobbling, rolling and rocking. Nothing impeded them. Someone in the trenches said, “The Devil is Coming!” and the word passed among them like wildfire. Suddenly, tongues of flame leapt out of the armoured sides of the iron caterpillar. Shells whistled over our heads and the sound of machine-guns filled the air. The Tank had arrived.

November 25

Sir Hiram Maxim died in Streatham, South London. He was the inventor of the automatic system of firearms which bore his name.

Notice: ‘There is to be no extension of hours for the sale and supply of intoxicating liquor in the scheduled area during the Christmas season.’ A young Australian soldier recorded his experiences in a tank during a night attack on the Somme Front: ‘Worse than the fog of war is to be out in it and only able to crawl at a snail’s pace. Groping after Fritz like a game of blind man’s buff. Suddenly, a great glare in the sky and the flash of guns everywhere. Infantry rush forward. Sudden commotion. Ground worse than an Irish bog. Through the mist and drizzle we make out the barbed wire close to the enemy’s trench. We take our bearings to see what chance there is of getting through. Infantry wire cutters help. Way soon made and we bear through. Out of the fog and blackness scared faces peer. We swoop down on them before they realise what is happening. They have never encountered a tank. Party after party is swept away under our fire.’ December 9 The first frost of any note was seen. Kendal canal was covered with ice.

An explosion occurred at a munitions factory in the North of England. Twenty-six women workers were killed and about thirty injured. The majority of the workers were women and their behaviour was given the highest praise. They displayed the highest coolness and perfect discipline in helping to remove the injured and keeping production going despite the explosion.

December 16

The Rev P.A. Stewart of Kendal, in the RAMC and serving as a Chaplain, was awarded the Military Cross. He tended the wounded under heavy fire displaying great courage and determination. He twice went back under heavy fire to get stretcher bearers and set a splendid example throughout the operation. He joined the army as a result of a recruiting sermon he preached at the Parish Church.

The German government stated its desire to establish peace negotiations. They maintained their superiority over the Allies and professed themselves ready to open negotiations on their terms. The offer was described in England as vague, boastful and crafty.

December 23

"Parleying which started from nothing and can lead to nothing,"was how Mr Asquith described the German so-called peace proposals.

Lloyd George put forward proposals for all labour to be mobilised, the use of every square yard of ground to be used for growing food and fixed prices for food.

War Report – The pause in fighting on the Somme continued. The French achieved a victory at Verdun.