Scots and the Battle of the Somme (1st Jul-18th Nov 1916)

British and French Vs. Germans (allied victory)

Douglas Haig planned a seven day immense artillery barrage with repeated attacks, despite the failures of the first, and he then insisted on the use of tanks

Contribution - this shows Scots contributed by providing the leadership that ultimately led to the Somme successfully wearing down the German Army

Experience - this shows some Scots experienced being behind the lines away from the fighting

Role - this shows some Scots took on leadership roles for a battle and plan how to carry it out, ie what technology?

Tanks were used in the third phase of the battle, including Angus Scott Anthony, from Broxburn, who was part of the Royal Tank Regiment

Contribution - this shows Scots contributed by putting their lives on the line when using tanks for the first time to see if they were effective or not

Experience - this shows some Scots experienced working on tanks as they were more educated and acting as guinea pigs as they tested them out in battle

Role - this shows Scots had a role in the battle as people operated new important technology

Sergeant Alexander Barclay, from Fife, was part of the 179th tunnelling corps and he helped create 19 mines

Contribution - this shows Scots contributed by making an effort outside the fighting, like building trenches

Experience - this shows some Scots experienced fighting outside of the trenched or not fighting directly but still making an effort towards the fighting

Role - this shows the role for some Scots was not confined to the trenched but were involved in different supporting activities

McCrae’s Battalion saw 75% of its men either injured or killed, including Hearts player, Duncan Currie

Contribution - this shows Scots contributed by sacrificing themselves for the fight

Experience - this shows some Scots experienced seeing their friends and family being horribly injured and/or killed in battle

Role - this shows some Scots role was to put up a fight, not giving in even in times of failure

Sergeant Robert Downie, from Glasgow, won a VC (Victoria Cross) for encouraging his men to assault a machine gun position

Contribution - this shows Scots contributed by getting other soldiers to fight united as a team

Experience - this shows some Scots experienced incredible pride in the battle as they saw people show amazing courage

Role - this shows some Scots role was supporting others and helping them stay motivated even when their objectives seemed impossible