The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Dundee’s fallen heroes in the Great War’s bloodiest battle
We continue our series of excerpts from The Courier book The Scottish Soldier’s Story by focusing on the Battle of the Somme. Early on the morning of July 1 1916, whistles were blown to signal the start of the bloodiest day in the history of the British Army. Men from across Courier Country made the ultimate sacrifice
Planned as a joint French and British operation, the plan for the Somme – which turned out to be naive and dated – was to aim for territorial gain and at the same time destroy German manpower. The Battle of the Somme resulted in 57,470 British casualties.
In contrast, the French, with fewer divisions, suffered only around 2,000 casualties.
Soldiers’ stories:
Doug Hutton, born and bred in Broughty Ferry (but now living in Hertfordshire), and his brother Brian, sent the following account of the heroic part their grandfather played in the Schwaben Redoubt, part of the battle:
“David Park Hutton served as a sergeant in the Fourth-Fifth Battalion of The Black Watch (Royal Highlanders) during the Great War and was awarded both the Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM) with Bar and the Military Medal (MM) for conspicuous gallantry in action and devotion to duty in the field,” said Doug.
“He led his platoon with great courage and initiative, sending back a number of prisoners and establishing a strong point, setting a splendid example to his men.”
During the Schwaben Redoubt of October 1916, Sergeant Hutton carried in Major Bowes-Lyon, a cousin of the Queen Mother, and supervised the evacuation of the wounded, after which he, with the remaining men, joined a party of the Cambridgeshire Regiment and helped to bomb dug-outs in the north face of the Redoubt.
“Among other cases of gallantry, Sergeant Hutton found himself in command of his company when all its officers had either been killed or wounded; when German machine guns were in front of his position and causing much trouble, Sergeant Hutton went out to successfully attack this machine gun nest,” Brian continued.
“In the military history book The Haunting Years, author William Linton Andrews (an employee of DC Thomson), recalls his experiences with The Black Watch and refers to Sergeant Hutton as ‘a man of extraordinary coolness, whose repeated acts of courage and military skill should, beyond any question, have won him the Victoria Cross and several bars; he was a natural leader, a man of indomitable endurance and an inspiration to all ranks’.”
Ian Stalker of Kirkcaldy talked about his father Harry Stalker, who fought in the Battle of the Somme.
“My father was 17 and an apprentice shoemaker when he enlisted. His younger brother also tried to enlist but was sent away with his tail between his legs because he was too young. I remember him saying how horrendous life was in the trenches and how they had terrible problems with their foot health because of it being permanently wet and muddy.
“He also described how they had to run a candle flame along the seams of their uniforms to kill the lice. Dad was captured by the Germans in 1918 and the family received a message to say he was missing in action. Imagine their shock and relief when he eventually turned up safe and sound at home. While he was a prisoner he repaired and made footwear for the German soldiers.”
Dundee’s University College was hit hard by the Battle of the Somme, said Dr Kenneth Baxter of Dundee University.
A particularly notable death was one of the first to fall, Second Lieutenant William Phillip Rettie of the Border Regiment. Known as Phillip, he had been a student of Scots law at the college in the final session before the war began and was embarking on a legal career.
His father, William Rettie, was a well-known figure in Dundee, being a partner in the Dundee grocers William Low & Co and a governor of University College.
By September his family had found out he had been wounded but had refused to have his wounds attended and continued to advance with his men.
He was never seen again. It was reported that the men under his command “worshipped” him.
His father had played a key role in establishing Dundee Dental Hospital, which opened in 1914.
His parents bought new, larger premises for it in Park Place as a tribute to the memory of their son, ensuring his legacy can still be felt in the city today.