The 36th Ulster Division attacked the Schwaben Redoubt, which is near the Ulster Tower, on July 1, 1916.
The Schwaben Redoubt was a little to the north-east of where the tower stands, and was a triangle of trenches with a frontage of 300 yards, a fearsome strongpoint with commanding views. It is also located close to the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme.
The front lines were at the edge of Thiepval Wood which lies to the south-west of the road between the Thiepval Memorial and the Ulster Tower. Troops of the 109th Brigade crossed about 400 yards of no man's land, and kept on going. They entered the Schwaben Redoubt, and advanced on towards Stuff Redoubt, gaining in all around a mile, though not without losses. To their left, the 108th Brigade were successful in advancing near Thiepval, but less so nearer the River Ancre.
The 107th Brigade supported them, but although men of the 36th Division held out for the day the Germans mounted counterattacks, and as their stocks of bombs and ammunition dwindled, many fell back with small parties remaining in the German front lines.
The casualties suffered by the 36th Division on 1 July totalled over 5,000.
Those brave Irishmen were the only Division to complete & even surpass their objective that Day.
When they dug in they realised, they had no support, either on the left or right, in fact the exact opposite. They were flanked on 3 sides by Germans. They then had to fight their way back to the British lines.
Today is a black Day of remembrance all over the North of Ireland, including many areas now in Southern Ireland and around the World descendants mourn and like myself thank God my Grandad returned, my Dad was born 1919.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VN-uemOCoXM
