Thomas Bruce

Thomas and the Battalion arrived at Boulogne on the 23/11/1915 and were part of the 97th Brigade, 32nd Division when Thomas was Killed during an attack on the Munich Trench at Beaumont Hamel on the last day of the Battles of the Somme when the advance was checked by heavy rifle and machine gun fire. Beaumont Hamel : The attack which commenced at 6.10 on the morning of November 18th - a day of ice-covered slushiness - was held up owing to the insufficiency of the artillery barrage and the heavy enemy machine gun fire. At 7.42 a.m. the message came into the Battalion from the right-hand Company that the Company Commander was wounded and that a Sergeant and about ten men were holding the right flank. The jumping off trench known as New Munich Trench, was manned by the Battalion machine gunners with a view to concentrating some of the Companies in it back across "No Man's Land" to form a rallying point. At 8.30 a.m. the following message was received from 2nd Lieutenant Macbeth of the right Company, "Am holding old front line with remainder of Battalion and have established a bombing post on the right. There are only Lieutenant Martin and myself in the trench." The left Company was also being hard pressed. It was reported by one of the Battalion Officers that when the barrage opened a great number of shells fell just in front of New Munich Trench where the attacking companies were lying out, killing and wounding a large number of the Battalion. When the barrage lifted on to Munich Trench for the last four minutes, it was still short, and when the leading waves came up to about 50 or 60 yards from Munich Trench followed by the barrage, the Germans could be seen lying in the trench in force. When the barrage was on the Munich Trench, the enemy machine guns played on the attackers from both flanks all the time. The failure of the attack was due to the inefficiency of the British supporting barrage, together with the condition of the ground-thaw having set in and rain falling on the snow, making it exceedingly slippery-the targets the men formed against the snowy background, and the intense cold. Describing the attack one of the members of the Battalion writes: - "The preliminary bombardment opened with its awful messages of destruction, and the rapid reply of the enemy's artillery indicated ominously that our intentions were not unknown to him. When our barrage lifted, and the first wave of our men attempted to go forward, their dark forms showed up against the snow. They were met by machine gun fire, by rapid fire from the enemy trenches, and by snipers in skilfully chosen holes. Our bombardment had failed. It was impossible to get to close quarters with the enemy-hopeless to advance-dangerous to retire. Many of our men were killed in the attack, others in the attempt to carry in the wounded. Many remained all day in exposed positions, beside their wounded comrades, in hope of rescuing them when darkness fell. Beaumont Hamel will not be remembered by us as bearing any resemblance to the official description. We look back upon it now, from the personal point of view, as a touchstone of the individual soul, as a prominent landmark in the vast monotony of death and horror-a chapter of inspiring deeds. It represents to us the heroism of a forlorn hope, the glory of unselfish sacrifice, the success of failure. Tis too easy to despond while the tired waves visibly gain no painful inch, hard to believe that far back through creeks and inlets making, comes silent, flooding in, the main." This was part of the Battle of the Ancre, 13th - 18th November 1916 : The Battle was now extended northwards across to the far side of the River Ancre. The British force attacked in fog and snow on the 13th November from the very same front lines from which the attack had failed so badly on the 1st July. Beaumont-Hamel was finally captured but Serre once again proved an objective too far. Considerable casualties were sustained before the Battle was called off. This signalled the end of the Battles of the Somme, 1st July - 18th November 1916 : A Franco-British offensive that was undertaken after Allied strategic conferences in late 1915, but which changed its nature due to the German attack against the French in the epic Battle of Verdun, which lasted from late February to November. Huge British losses on the first day and a series of fiercely contested steps that became attritional in nature. For all armies on the Western Front it was becoming what the Germans would call "materialschlacht" : a war not of morale, will or even manpower, but of sheer industrial material might. The 15th September 1916 saw the first-ever use of tanks in the step known as the Battle of Flers-Courcelette. The British army in France is now approaching its maximum strength in numbers but is still developing in terms of tactics, technology, command and control. SEE PHOTOS x 10 FOR THE BATTALION WAR DIARY FOR NOVEMBER 1916. The 17th were the "Glasgow Commercials" or the "Featherbeds", a nickname acquired after a storm destroyed their tents at their training camp at Gailes in Ayrshire and they were moved to comfortable billets in Troon. Their original name was the "Glasgow Chamber of Commerce Battalion". Thomas is also remembered on the Coatbridge Technical College, Drumpellier Golf Club and United Free Church Rolls of Honour and at the Family Plot in Old Monkland Cemetery (see photos). See photos for Thomas' Medal Index Card, his Newspaper clippings x 2, the Scotland National Probate Index (his sister Wilhelmina (Mina) of 18b Garturk Street inherited when he died), his Army Register of Soldiers Effects, his Service Medal and Award Rolls x 2, his CWGC Grave Registration, the Highland Light Infantry Cap Badge, Thomas' Pension Records x 2 and his name on the Thiepval Memorial x 2. Finally, see photos for Newspaper clippings x 4 (Coatbridge Express x 2, Coatbridge Leader x 1 and Airdrie and Coatbridge Advertiser x 1), Thomas' name on the Thiepval Memorial taken by myself in July 2023, Thomas' name on the Thiepval Memorial kindly donated by my friend in France, Thierry Dericbourg x 2 and another 2 Newspaper clippings from the Coatbridge Express.