What a difference a century makes

The Somme between Bray and Peronne is a tranquil river cutting through chalk hills. Running roughly in parallel is the dreamy Somme canal.  In June, the harvest is being gathered. On Sundays, families go for expeditions in the wood and waters beside the river, or seek shade in the trees which crown the hills. Many take a ride on the little railway of the Upper Somme, the Chemin de fer Froissy-Dompierre CFCD. Green and rural as it is now, it was a theatre of war in 1916.

Place André Audinot, Péronne, dominated by its old fort. This town, defending the Upper Somme was the primary objective of the Somme offensive. Ironically, it was taken without bloodshed in 1917 when Hindenburg shortened teh German line.

In 1916, the Allies faced the Central Powers across a Front stretching from Switzerland to the Channel with the territ. The Somme river was the boundary between the British and French sectors while the Front ran west of Dompierre on the plateau of Santerre. My geography teacher would have called the Santerre a dip slope, declining gently from an escarpment.  She might also have added 'anyone trying to attack from the west would be struggling up a hill, in full view of the enemy' The enemy would also have a grandstand view of any preparations for a battle so it would be hard to keep the element of surprise.
The Allies, in short had rather stumbled into this battle. The British wanted a position north of the Somme because that kept them in touch with the Channel ports. The French therefore had to be where they were. The British had agreed that their large new army of volunteers would be battle-ready by mid 1916. The French were only too keen to let them share the fighting. In the winter of 1915, the two chiefs of staff had decided on an offensive in the Somme area in late summer 1916. The greatest strategic target of the area was Péronne; the real hope was for a breakthrough at the front. The Allies could then encircle the enemy and move into undefended territory.
The situation then became complicated. In late February 1916, the Germans launched a massive attack on Verdun (a more important target than Péronne) and the French were keen to provide a distraction. Therefore you could say that the choice of the Somme as a battleground was a product of hope and fear - fear of being cut off from home, fear of losing a strategic target nearly 300 km away and the vague hope of a breakthrough.
In our article in May's edition of Continental Modeller, and in our book 'Colonel Péchot: tracks to the trenches' there are some helpful maps.

South bank of the Somme July 1916 looking towards Curlu, one agonising kilometre east of Cappy. Illustration from 'Illustration' courtesy M. D. Wright

We should have the greatest respect for the soldiers and support staff who had this impossible task - also for the smaller force of Germans who suffered too but gave a good account of themselves. 
For the British, the Battle of the Somme began on July 1st. For the French, it began earlier. They had been committed in depth since August 1914. Among other things, the two years between 1914 and 16  had taught them the value of transport. The small nucleus of 60cm supply railways designed by Prosper Péchot was expanded and updated.
To recognise the campaign, ongoing over two years, APPEVA, the organisation behind the CFCD, held a centenary commemoration from 5th to 8th May this year. It was an atmospheric recreation, with locomotives of the time and people in period costume. Train rides took the public up to the plateau; a short and pleasant ride in 2016 though the journey for the infantry of 1916 seemed neither short nor pleasant.

A Péchot 'wagon-plat' waits by the Somme canal, CFCD May 2016. It is in remarkably good condition considering its 110-odd years. The brake operating wheels have been removed; the brakesman has to apply and release the brakes using an operating thread on the bogie. Just seen, a pair of bogie-bolsters are carrying lengths of prefabricated track.

The Battle of the Somme only recaptured a small area, and left a heavy toll. Many go to visit the extensive cemeteries with a mix of sadness and wonder. Over this and the subsequent years of the war, gradually lessons were learned, some more quickly than others.

Baldwin Gas Mechanical 50hp locotractor with admiring British officers! Versions appeared served French and US front-lines. The design was one of a new breed; unlike a steam locomotive which advertised its presence with smoke and sparks, the BGM was relatively discreet. The original locomotive would have had a fuel tank balanced on its 'nose' and  large lamps front and rear.

Modern warfare could not be sustained by gallantry and discipline alone. Initially reluctant to use trench railways the British started their War Department Light Railways WDLR) programme. More use was made of internal combustion engines. Tracked vehicles - tanks - were introduced to sweep away barbed wire and to cross trenches. The French introduced new techniques of attack - meticulously planned bombardment and suitably trained troops.  The Germans too were learning fast so that for a while there was a real arms race; the entry of the USA into the War eventually swung it for the Allies.
Thanks to commemorative events such as this, the British public are finding out about the vast 60cm network of the WDLR which was built to service the Front. Books such as Roy Link's WDLR Album and my biography of Péchot are also contributing to general awareness.