Schwaben Redoubt

The Schwaben Redoubt lies between the Thiepval Memorial and the Ulster tower. It was a German strongpoint on the western front in the First World War. Consisting of a mass of gun emplacements, trenches and tunnels, this warren of defensive works helped anchor the German line on the Somme until late 1916. It was defended by the 26th division that came from Swabia, the general name for the southwestern part of Germany.

First Assaults

The British attack of 1 July 1916. Schwaben Redoubt is at centre right

It was first assaulted on July 1, 1916, the opening day of the British Somme Offensive, by the 109th Brigade of the 36th (Ulster) Division. Although they attained a foothold in the redoubt, the men of the 109th Brigade were ultimately forced to retire. The redoubt then remained in German hands until late September, all the while helping to prevent the British capture of the fortress-village of Thiepval.

During assaults that lasted from September 26-8 as part of the Battle of Thiepval Ridge, the British finally succeeded in both wresting control of Thiepval from the Germans, and securing a permanent lodgment in the Schwaben Redoubt. This success came courtesy, in large measure, of the 18th Division's 54th Brigade. By the evening of September 28, most of the redoubt was in British hands, although the Germans held on to the north face until October 14, 1916, when it was captured by the 39th Division's 118th Brigade. By all accounts, the fighting here was simply dreadful.

Capture

During one of the engagements that were part of the costly Somme offensive, the Cambridgeshire Regiment assaulted and successfully captured the Schwaben Redoubt. The Redoubt was of great strategic importance and had been fought over many times with great loss of life.

On the 14th October 1916, the Territorial ‘Fen Tigers’ under the brilliant command of Lieutenant Colonel Riddell advanced under a creeping barrage and were in and amongst the defenders without loss of life. The fierce fight that followed devolved into a hotly contested struggle, commanded by corporals and junior commanders with bayonet and grenade. The bewildered German occupants were routed and Riddell’s Cambridgeshire’s went on to successfully defend the Redoubt for a further 24 hours before being relieved, having beaten back several determined counter-attacks. By First World War standards British loss of life was light, with 218 men killed or wounded. The success was so phenomenal that General Haig recounted the attack as being “one of the finest feats of arms in the history of the British Army”. For their personal skill and bravery, 41 awards for gallantry were bestowed on the Regiment.

British decorations

The following is a list of those men of the British army who were decorated for gallantry, giving their rank at the time of the battle; their names; the awards; and the locations of their origins (where known):

Lt.Col Edward Pius Arthur Riddell, DSO Lt Geoffrey Barker, MC Captain Archibald Ballentine Henderson Dunlop,MC (Margate), Company Sergeant Major James Coe, MC 2nd Lieutenant Francis Alennye Marr, MC (Cambridge) 2nd Lieutenant Underwood Saville, MC (Natal, South Africa) Corporal JW Archer, DCM (Wisbech) Private Herbert Brickwood, DCM (Lolworth) Company Sergeant Major Harry Charles Clarke, DCM (Cambridge) Private PG Cornwall, DCM (Ely) Sergeant John Jordan, DCM (Wisbech) Corporal Fred Latham, DCM (Wisbech) Private James Smith, DCM (Manea) Sergeant Walter Stubbings, DCM (Sawston) Lance Corporal Frank Touch, DCM (Chatteris) Private Alfred Wayman, DCM (Ely) Sergeant Robert Bushell, MM (Wisbech) Private Maurice Carter, MM (Shepreth) Private Harry Cash, MM (Cambridge) Private Henry Coker, MM (Cambridge) Sergeant Sidney Dockerill, MM (Little Shelford) Private Archibald Fairweather, MM (Cambridge & later Haverhill) Lance Corporal Mat Gilbert, MM (Sutton St James, Lincs) Private Frederick Hailstone, MM (Whittlesey) Private Horace Johnson, MM (Emneth) Private Bert Jolley, MM (Cambridge) Private Rudolph Buckley Lister, MM (Cambridge) Lance Corporal Walter Lupson, MM (Ely) Lance Corporal Edward Miller, MM (Doddington) Lance Corporal George Nightingale, MM (Cambridge) Lance Corporal Sam Parker, MM (Cambridge) Corporal Walter Sidney Sallis, MM (Littleport) Private John Saunders, MM (Cambridge) Lance Corporal Ernie Scarr, MM (Great Shelford) Private John Searle, MM (Cambridge) Private Alf Setchfield, MM (Coates) Lance Corporal Horace Tabor, MM (Cambridge) Corporal Harry Gordon Teverson, MM (Ely) 2nd Lieutenant John R Strickland, MiD

See also

• Map coordinates : 50.06210°N 2.68860°E / 50.06210; 2.68860
• British 36th (Ulster) Division
• J.R.R. Tolkien - Signals officer attached to the Lancashire Fusiliers during this battle.
• Wilhelm Karl von Urach (proclaimed king Mindaugas II of Lithuania) - the defending general.

External links

• Cambridgeshire's (Fen Tigers) remembered
• 1914-1918.net sacred ground Somme Thiepval
• Historic Trips
• The Somme Association
• Web matters France Ulster Tower
• WW1 Battle Fields Somme Thiepval