Description
(British Army) First Day of the Somme 1 July 1916 – Brittish War Medal.
Named to Private F. Bays, military number #77, 17th Bn., Northumberland Fusiliers, Military number 77.
Died 01 July 1916 at the First Day of the Somme.
Private F. Bays is buried at the Authuille Military Cemetary, section E. 21.
-> https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/598733/f-bays/
The Brittish War Medal has Private Bau’s name and service numer engraved on the rim. 77 is a very low number.
The medal is in good condition and comes with several pages of research and a photo of Horridge’s grave, as well as a map of the cemetary on which the exact location of the grave can be found.
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Background:
The First Day of the Battle of the Somme was to be the first mass offensive mounted by the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) and the first battle to involve a large number of New Army divisions, many composed of Pals battalions that had formed after Kitchener’s call for volunteers in August 1914. In total this day 57,470 casualties suffered by the British, including 19,240 killed, which were the worst in the history of the British Army.
More background:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_day_on_the_Somme
and
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Somme
