Wandsworth's links with France

The Thiepval Memorial to the
Missing, The Somme, France

The 10th (Service) Battalion (Battersea) of The Queen's (Royal West Surrey) Regiment finished its training and embarked for France in early June 1916 as part of the 41st Division. At the end of the month they were in the Flanders region of Belgium. In August they moved back to France and started training for a major attack as part of the Somme offensive, which had begun on 1st July 1916.

The Battalion moved up at night through the already shattered remains of Delville Wood and attacked at 6.20am on 15th September. Two tanks came up in support and within half-an-hour their first objective was achieved The enemy's forward trenches were taken after heavy fighting, but it was not until 7pm that headquarters received news that the survivors of the 10th Battalion and the Brigade's other units had managed to take and hold the final objective - the village of Flers itself. After this attack over 335 men were reported dead, missing or wounded - some 50% of the battalion's fighting strength.

Lieutenant
Eric Mance
killed at Flers
- no known grave -
commemorated
at Thiepval

 On 15 May 1932 the 41st Division memorial was unveiled in the village of Flers and handed over to the village's Mayor. The memorial includes the regimental crest of the Queen's (Royal West Surrey) Regiment. A board in the former Battersea Town Hall (now Battersea Arts Centre) lists the battle honours of the Battalion which was raised there.

On a private visit in May 2001, the Mayor of Wandsworth - Councillor John Garrett and other councillors and council officers visited and lay a wreath at 41st Division Monument at Bull Road Military cemetery, and at the village's own war memorial.