The Battle of the Ancre was one of the last of the series of battles in the Somme area which took place between 1916 and 1917 during the Great War. In three days of fighting during November 1916, British forces attempted to capture a heavily fortified German salient based on the village of Beaumont- Hamel. They captured the village and advanced about a mile until difficult weather conditions made fighting impossible. Research Battle of the Ancre
The South Lancashire Regiment (Prince of Wales' Volunteers) was a British infantry regiment comprised of the former 40th Regiment of Foot (raised in 1717) and the 82nd Regiment of Foot (raised in 1793). The regiment served with distinction at Alexandria in 1801 and in the Peninsular campaign and at the Battle of Waterloo. The regiment saw action in the Afghan War of 1842 and the Maratha War of 1843. After serving in the Crimean War it was present at the relief of Lucknow, took part in the New Zealand War of 1860 until 1865, and in the South African War was attached to the Ladysmithrelief force, the 1st battalion being engaged in the fighting for the Tugela Heights.
During the Great War the regiment had attached to it a number of territorial and service battalions. The 1st battalion was in Mesopotamia in 1916, and distinguished itself in the battles for Kut. The 2nd battalion went to France in 1914 and participated in all the major battles of that year, and also at Loos in 1915. Among the regiment's services generally were the stand of the 5th in the German gas attack of May 1915; the 6th (Territorial) at Gallipoli in 1915, and the 7th and 8th were on the Somme and Ancre in 1916; the tragedy of the 11th battalion which went to France in 1915 and fought continuously until the end of the war with only six of the original men who went over surviving. Research South Lancashire Regiment
The Ancre was a French minesweeper of 604 tons displacement launched in 1918. The Ancre was powered by two du Temple boilers providing a top speed of 20 knots and carried a complement of 107. She was armed with four 3.9 inch guns; one 9 pdr anti-aircraft gun and two machine-guns. Research Ancre
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Matt and Leela Probert
Abbreviations
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