MEMORIAL TO THE MISSING OF THE SOMME, THIEPVAL

The Memorial to the Missing of the Battle of the Somme is located in the French village of Thiepval, 4.5 miles north of Albert at the crossroads of the D73 and D151 and approximately 20 miles northeast of Amiens.

Designed by celebrated British architect Sir Edwin Lutyens, the memorial was built between 1928 and 1932 and records the names of 73,367 British and Commonwealth soldiers who fell on the Somme sector before March 1918 but who have no known grave. Of those listed, more than 90% died between July and November 1916. To the rear of the memorial, a cemetery containing equal numbers of Commonwealth and French burials serves as recognition to the joint Anglo-French nature of the 1916 Somme offensive.

History

The British offensive on the Somme, which was supported by a French attack to the south, was launched at 7.30amon 1 July 1916 when thirteen divisions attacked on a line from north of Gommecourt to Maricourt. Despite an intense seven-day preliminary bombardment however, the German defenders remained largely untouched and were able to offer unexpectedly fierce resistance to the advancing troops.

By the end of the first day of battle, British losses had been catastrophic. For only minimal gains, almost 20,000 men had been killed and another 40,000 were wounded. German losses on the whole Somme front were believed to number between 10,000-12,000.

In the weeks that followed, huge resources of equipment and men were deployed in an attempt to exploit the modest gains of 1 July. German resistance was tenacious throughout the battle however, and fierce struggles broke out for every village, copse and fortified farmhouse.

Despite being a first-day objective, Thiepval was not captured until the end of September, and attacks north and east continued throughout October and into November. When the Battle of the Somme finally petered out on 18 November 1916, Britain and its Commonwealth had suffered 419,654 casualties, including 95,675 dead.

The Memorial

The Memorial to the Missing at Thiepval was built between 1928 and 1932 and unveiled by the Prince of Wales, in the presence of the President of France, on 1 August 1932 (originally scheduled for 16 May but due to the death of French President Doumer the ceremony was postponed until August). The dead of other Commonwealth countries, who lost their lives on the Somme and have no known graves, are commemorated on national memorials elsewhere.

Footballers commemorated at Thiepval

The following footballers are listed among the 73,367 names on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing. This list is correct to the best of our knowledge, however, if you know of any individual that has been unintentionally omitted, please contact us here and we will update the list accordingly.

 

SurnameNameClubsDate of DeathRegimentReference
BarbourJohnQueen's Park
Dundee
Preston North End
15/07/1916Highland Light InfantryPier and Face 15 C.
BardsleyEdwinGlossop
Stockport County
18/11/1916Manchester RegimentPier and Face 13 A and 14 C.
BeswickJosephStockport County14/07/1916 King's (Liverpool Regiment)Pier and Face 1 D 8 B and 8 C.
BoydJamesHeart of Midlothian03/08/1916Royal ScotsPier and Face 6 D and 7 D.
ChristmasCecilSouthampton07/10/1916King's Royal Rifle CorpsPier and Face 13 A and 13 B.
CliffordThomasAyr
Celtic
Glossop
Luton Town
Motherwell
Newton Heath
Nottingham Forest
19/01/1917Royal Scots FusiliersPier and Face 3 C.
CurrieDuncan Heart of Midlothian01/07/1916Royal ScotsPier and Face 6 D and 7 D.
DonagheyBernardBurnley
Hibernian
Manchester United
01/07/1916Royal Inniskilling FusiliersPier and Face 4 D and 5 B.
EllisErnestBarnsley
Heart of Midlothian
Norwich City
01/07/1916Royal ScotsPier and Face 13 A and 14 C.
ElmoreGeorgeBlackpool
Glossop
Partick Thistle
St. Mirren
West Bromwich Albion
01/07/1916Royal ScotsPier and Face 6 D and 7 D.
EvansArthurExeter City31/07/1916Royal FusiliersPier and Face 8 C 9 A and 16 A.
FergusonJohnSt. Bernard's
Third Lanark
23/10/1916Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) Pier and Face 4 D.
GerrishWilliamAston Villa
Bristol Rovers
Preston North End
08/08/1916Duke of Cambridge’s Own (Middlesex Regiment) Pier and Face 12 D and 13 B.
GoodwillThomasNewcastle United01/07/1916Northumberland Fusiliers Pier and Face 10 B 11 B and 12 B.
GregoryJuliusBrighton & Hove Albion
Bury
Luton Town
Manchester City
20/07/1916Royal FusiliersPier and Face 8 C 9 A and 16 A.
HaganPatrickBrentford
Hibernian
14/07/1916Royal ScotsPier and Face 6 D and 7 D.
HughesThomasNewcastle United01/07/1916Northumberland Fusiliers Pier and Face 10 B 11 B and 12 B.
HulmeArthurBrighton & Hove Albion
Bristol Rovers
Lincoln City
03/10/1916Royal Sussex Regiment Pier and Face 7 C.
IzattDavidDunfermline Athletic01/07/1916Royal ScotsPier and Face 6 D and 7 D.
JonasWilliamClapton Orient27/07/1916 Duke of Cambridge’s Own (Middlesex Regiment) Pier and Face 12 D and 13 B.
KayAlexanderPartick Thistle
Sheffield United
St. Bernard's
15/02/1917 Rifle Brigade Pier and Face 16 B and 16 C.
KingGeorgeBurnley
Millwall
01/07/1916 Northumberland Fusiliers Pier and Face 10 B 11 B and 12 B.
LinksonOscarManchester United
Queens Park Rangers
Shelbourne
08/08/1916 Duke of Cambridge’s Own (Middlesex Regiment) Pier and Face 12 D and 13 B.
LintottEvelynBradford City
Leeds City
Plymouth Argyle
Queens Park Rangers
01/07/1916 West Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales’s Own) Pier and Face 2 A 2 C and 2 D.
McGuirePatrickManchester City12/10/1916Manchester RegimentPier and Face 13 A and 14 C.
Pryce-HamerThomasLlanelly07/07/1916 South Wales BorderersPier and Face 4 A.
PurverHenryBrentford31/07/1916 Royal Fusiliers Pier and Face 8 C 9 A and 16 A.
RobothamHoraceBrentford
Fulham
Wolverhampton Wanderers
12/09/1916 Duke of Cambridge’s Own (Middlesex Regiment) Pier and Face 12 D & 13 B.
RooseLeighArsenal
Aston Villa
Everton
Huddersfield Town
Stoke
Sunderland
07/10/1916 Royal Fusiliers Pier and Face 8 C 9 A and 16 A.
ScottJamesRaith Rovers01/07/1916 Royal Scots Pier and Face 6 D and 7 D.
SharpleyWilliamLeicester Fosse01/07/1916 Essex Regiment Pier and Face 10 D.
StevensonJamesBristol City
Clyde
Derby County
Leicester Fosse
Newcastle United
03/07/1916 Highland Light Infantry Pier and Face 15 C.
TaylorJohnHull City
Leith Athletic
New Brompton
15/09/1916 Northumberland Fusiliers Pier and Face 10 B 11 B and 12 B.
ThompsonRalphGrimsby Town01/07/1916 Lincolnshire Regiment Pier and Face 1 C.
WattieHenryHeart of Midlothian01/07/1916 Royal Scots Pier and Face 6 D and 7 D.
WilsonArchibaldMiddlesbrough
Southend United
Tottenham Hotspur
01/07/1916 London Regiment (London Scottish) Pier and Face 9 C and 13 C.
WoodNormanChelsea
Croydon Common
Crystal Palace
Plymouth Argyle
Stockport County
28/07/1916 Duke of Cambridge’s Own (Middlesex Regiment) Pier and Face 12 D and 13 B.
YuillJackManchester City
Stockport County
09/07/1916 Manchester Regiment Pier and Face 13 A and 14 C.