WW1 British War Medal 1914-18 & Memorial Plaque To Pte Frank Foster, 21st (Tyneside Scottish) Bn., Northumberland Fusiliers

British War Medal 1914-18 ( 21/811 Pte F Foster, North'd Fus ); Memorial Plaque Frank Foster
Pte Frank Foster 21st (Tyneside Scottish) Bn., Northumberland Fusiliers was Killed in action on the First Day of the Battle of the Somme on 01 July 1916
Remembered with Honour
Thiepval Memorial
Objective 9 La Boisselle The Somme 1. Attack on La Boisselle
Private Frank Foster and the Tyneside Scottish were assigned Objective 9, an attack on the
village of La Boisselle. The village of La Boisselle was of huge strategic importance as it would
open up the road to Bapaume. This would allow the Allies to attack Poziers, the next town further
up the road then from there Thiepval.
The Germans held the best positions overlooking the two valleys – one to the left hand side of
Lochnagar Crater- this was nicknamed ‘Sausage Valley’ by the British as it usually had an airship
above it on reconnaissance. The other valley, which is on the other side of the road, was
nicknamed ‘Mash Valley’. This was the largest piece of No Man’s Land on the whole Somme
battlefront (700m wide). Rather than try a head-on attack at the village of La Boisselle, the Allies
decide to attack either side. As part of this offensive they set off two huge mines, one near the
road at the side of the village (18,000kgs) and one at Lochnagar, the biggest mine set off that day
at 28,000kgs. The shelling stopped and the mines were blown at 7.28am. At 7.30am the soldiers
went over the top
The debris from the Lochnagar mine rose over twice the height of the Eiffel Tower. Limbs were
broken 250m away with the shock waves. The debris came down in seconds – so the extra time
allowed for the debris to settle, actually gave the Germans more time to prepare. The Allied troops
advanced down the Tara and Usna hills opposite La Boisselle and Lochnagar. The German
machine gunners took up their positions in their trenches and redoubts and waited. Once the Allies
were far enough down the hillside to prevent a retreat, the guns opened fire. The machine guns
ran along the lines and the advancing soldiers fell row by row
with copy of memorial scroll and Commonwealth War Graves Details and Medal Index Card
address given as 11 West View, slakeford Chopping, Morpeth

Code: 56868