Way back in March when the sun was shining, the grass was growing, the horses and sheep looked good and it wasn’t raining I was asked to join this trip to ‘Walk the Somme’. I recently had a hip operation and have recovered so well I was prepared for a challenge. This is my story of the walk. The history I tell is my own thoughts. I did not know where the Somme was but Google helped and by the time I went I had some idea of what had happened, and where it happened. The Somme is in the middle of the Western Front.

The Western Front was essentially the line of trenches dug into the soil. These were elaborate and extensive systems. The British and German trenches were separated by a short strip of no man’s land about 100 to 400 yards wide and protected by barb wire. The Western Front stretched from Flanders – the French-Belgian border to Alsace, French-German border in the south.

The Battle of Somme started July 1 1916 when the Allied forces attacked the German trenches. The attack was initiated because the war was deadlocked and a major offensive in one area about a 15 mile stretch by the river Somme might overwhelm the Germans. Unfortunately the attack was a disaster for several reasons and the casualties were horrific. The German machine guns wrecked havoc on the advancing troops; some 60,000 were killed or wounded on that first day.

Our walk was from cemetery to cemetery. Each one had a sad and terrible story to tell. Soldiers were buried where they lay.

We went to several visitor centres. Read plaques and saw photographs. Some centres still had the trenches there. The Newfoundland Memorial Park at Beaumont Hamel was one. An impressive statue of a Caribou overlooks the battlefield. Here an entire regiment was wiped out in 30 minutes. The Blighty Valley Cemetery. The Ouillers Cemetery. The Pozieres Cemetery, full of Australians. Tyneside Irish Brigade the Northumberland Fusiliers Memorial. The Welsh Division Memorial. The Devonshire Cemetery. The Accrington Pals, Lancashire. The Glasgow Pals, whole communities lost all their men.

The terrible first day casualties were only the beginning of the Battle of the Somme. The battle continued up until November with the loss of many more thousands of soldiers. September and October saw heavy rainfall which turned the battlefield into a sea of mud through which men and horses could hardly move. Many horses, with their simple, unspoken, uncomplaining nobility became victims of this mud and the battle. At some visitor centres we saw photographs of the area during the battle and it was desolated. Few buildings standing, no trees and hardly any vegetation. When we were there, though, on this walk the crops looked healthy and good fields of corn, potatoes, oil seed rape, woods and spinneys were everywhere. The memorials were beautifully looked after. Lots of flowers, mown grass and clean white grave stones. Many, no most, were unnamed.

We ended up our trip by going to Ypres, a Belgian town through which most of these soldiers passed coming from England on their way to the Somme. During the war the town was badly damaged and the centre of much fighting.

A memorial called The Menin Gate was erected after the war and there is a ceremony every night at 8.00pm when the last post is blown by buglers and a prayer is said. This was a very moving experience.

In our party were 2 of my sons and I couldn’t help but think that they were the age of the soldiers.

I must mention Alan was our leader and driver for the walk and was brilliant. His dad Alex was our fountain of information knowing all the stories and the battle sites. The others were all Scots even the cockney was a Scot. They were wonderful and all drank malt.

By participating in this walk and as a gesture of remembrance we were asked to support the Hansel Foundation. The Hansel village is where people of learning disabilities can have a normal and happy life. The building of a horticultural therapeutic centre has started and will incorporate horticulture, arts and crafts and music therapy offering people with learning disabilities a support service seven days a week. This ‘our space’ building still required funding to purchase the many items and equipment and furnishing and this is where our funds have gone. I cannot thank all you who have donated to me for this charity enough. Thank you very much. I’m part of a large and I think wonderful family and id like to think it’s largely their influence and friendship that has encouraged you to donate to me for this charity.

Alan our leader is chairman of the Hansel Foundation and the village is close to Prestwick Airport.

Jane and I went there a short time ago and had lunch in Lynda’s café. All of you, do go there and you may see the ‘our space’ centre. The whole village was wonderful and such a happy environment.

Thank you very much.

This story has taken a long time to write. I started writing it when we got home June 18. I wrote and then had to stop. My emotions just could not cope. My therapy was to gallop my horse hanging on really tight, through the surf – faster and faster. The spray whipping up, soaking me, lashing my face and wiping my tears. So many died and died crying out for their mothers.

‘woa- woa’- stop – one of my punters has just fallen off in the sea…. Life is normal again.