On Demand Tour: 36th Ulster Division – The Somme – 1st July 1916

Description

In the northern part of the Somme battlefields on the infamous 1^st July 1916, the hard fighting 36^th (Ulster) Division, made up entirely of volunteers, achieved one of the biggest break ins on a morning marked by disaster. The Ulsters were the only Division on the northern part of the battlefield that day to reach the German 2nd line in strength. With innovation and astonishing bravery, these men managed to penetrate and capture perhaps the most formidable German defensive position on the Somme – the Schwaben Redoubt, only to have to relinquish it later that evening. This tour, following in the footsteps of the 36th Division, will present an overview of this incredible action, outlining the success of the advance and events that led to the awarding of 4 V.C’s.  It will also highlight the problems it faced and outline reasons why, at terrible cost, they were forced to give up all of the precious ground they had captured that day.