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Lesson Plan for William Crees & the Battle of the Somme for educational use 1 of 18

Lesson Plan for WILLIAM CREES – Battle of the Somme

Date: KS3 Topic/KS4 Module: Lesson Number: Set/Mixed: Number of Boys: Number of Girls:

SEN information:

Additional information:

Lesson Objectives What I intend to teach

Learning Outcomes What pupils are expected to learn

Assessment/differentiation opportunities

Strategies for obtaining evidence to show progress and challenge for all pupils

Was the Battle of the Somme a matter of “Lions led by donkeys”. OR What was it like to take part in the Battle of the Somme?

Students will be able to assess whether the view “Lions led by donkeys” is correct or not, providing evidence OR Students will produce some empathic sources to show they understand the experiences of the Battle of the Somme.

Starter: (approx 5 mins) Activities to immediately engage the pupils in the learning process

Main Activities Timeline: Activities which support and enable the learning Use short sources and questions on the Battle of the Somme to come to a decision as to whether it was a matter of “Lions led by donkeys”. OR Use as a jumping-off point for further research on the Battle of the

Somme OR

Create personal “recollections” of William Crees

Plenary: (approx 5 mins) Activities which allow pupils to reflect on and share their learning


Notes to Teachers

William Crees, 2nd Lieutenant, the Queens (Royal West Surrey) Regiment

William was born in Selsey in 1881, the fifth child of Charles and Harriet Crees. Charles was a farm labourer and the family lived at Church Norton. It was a hard life managing on a labourer’s wages and bringing up ten children and sadly four of William’s brothers and sisters died before the age of 18.

In 1900, faced with the prospect of becoming a farm labourer, like his father and two brothers, William decided to join the Army and enlisted in the 1st Battalion of the Queen’s (Royal West Surrey) Regiment. He served in India and Aden, and in 1910 returned to Selsey as a Lance-Corporal to marry Lucy Budd in an Easter wedding at Selsey Parish Church.

Lucy and William lived in army married quarters in various parts of the country and by the end of 1914 had three children: Dulcie, William and Vera. William was promoted to Sergeant and embarked for France on 16th December 1915. A few months later he was given a battlefield commission and was Gazetted as a 2nd Lieutenant on 16th April 1916.

William was serving in the 2nd Battalion of the Queen’s Regiment on 1st July 1916, when they took part in the dreadful first day of the battle of the Somme. According to the Battalion’s war diary, at about 9.50am ‘A’ and ‘C’ Companies were advancing towards Danzig Alley to the east of Mametz when they came under enemy machine-gun fire. There were a good many casualties and sadly 2nd Lt. William Crees was one of those killed.

He is buried in Peronne Rd Cemetery, Maricourt, France and was awarded the 1914-15 Star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.

Attached are: Page

• Reconstructed birth certificate, with correct information 3

• Family tree 4

• Photograph of William Crees 5

• Photograph of William Crees and family 6

• Wedding notice in Selsey Parish Magazine 7

• Photograph of wife and children of William Crees 8

• Notes on the Battle of the Somme 9

• Short sources on the Battle of the Somme 10

• Questions on the Battle of the Somme 13

• Postcard Images from WW1 14

• Telegraph of death 15

• Letter of sympathy 16

• Transcript of sympathy letter 17

• Gravestone at Peronne Road Cemetery, Maricourt, France 18


William Crees

27th August 81

3rd September 81

S. L. Evans

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William Crees


William Crees with his mother and brothers, Charles and Arthur


Selsey Parish Magazine, April 1910

Parish Notes

Congratulations – on Easter Monday our church was the scene of a very pretty wedding, which attracted a good deal of interest. The bride was Miss Lucy Budd, and the bridegroom was Lance-‐Corporal William Crees, 1st Queens (Surrey Regiment) who has recently returned to his home after a long period of service with his regiment in India and Aden. Lance-‐Corporal Budd, of the same regiment was best man and Miss Dulcie Harding acted as bridesmaid. We heartily congratulate the bridegroom on his safe return, and on his marriage, and we wish him and his bride every happiness in their married life.


William Crees’ wife, Lucy and children, Dulcie. Wiliiam and Vera


The Battle of the Somme

The Battle of the Somme took place between 1st July and 18th November 1916, on both sides of the River Somme in France. The battle was one of the largest of World War I, in which more than 1,000,000 men were wounded or killed, making it one of humanity's bloodiest battles.

The battle started with a week-long artillery bombardment of the German lines. 1,738,000 shells were fired at the Germans. The idea behind it was that the artillery guns would destroy both the German trenches and the barbed wire placed in front of the trenches. However, despite this bombardment from the British, the German trenches and barbed wire mostly remained intact, largely because the Germans had deep dugouts for their men and all they had to do when the bombardment started was to move these men into the relative safety of the deep dugouts, and when it stopped they returned to their machine gun posts to mow down the British and the French soldiers.

The British soldiers were told that all they had to do was to walk across No Man’s Land and take over the German trenches, but as the 11 British divisions walked towards the German lines, the machine guns started and the slaughter began. Although a few units managed to reach German trenches, they could not exploit their gains and were driven back. They were followed by cavalry.

This was not a great success. The muddy conditions made horses slow and riders easy targets. The man to man combat that followed was bloody and horrific By the end of the day, the British had suffered nearly 60,000 casualties, of whom 20,000 were dead: their largest single loss. Sixty per cent of all officers involved on the first day were killed.

For many years those who led the British campaign have received a lot of criticism for the way the Battle of the Somme was fought – especially General Sir Douglas Haig. This criticism was based on the appalling casualty figures suffered by the British and the French. By the end of the battle, the British Army had suffered 420,000 casualties including nearly 60,000 on the first day alone. The French lost 200,000 men and the Germans nearly 500,000.


SOURCES ON THE BATTLE OF THE SOMME

Source A: General Rees, commander of the 94th Infantry Brigade at the Battle of the Somme described how his men went into battle on July 1, 1916:

“They advanced in line after line, dressed as if on [parade and not a man shirked going through the extremely heavy barrage, or facing the machine gun and rifle fire that finally wiped them out. I saw the lines which advanced in such vulnerable order melting away under fire. Yet not a man wavered, broke the ranks, or attempted to come back. I have never seen, I would never have imagined such a magnificent display of gallantry, discipline and determination. The reports I had from the very few survivors of this marvellous advance bear out what I saw with my own eyes, viz, that hardly a man of ours got to the German front line.”

Source B: George Coppard was a machine-gunner at the Battle of the Somme. In his book With a Machine Gun to Cambrai, he described what he saw on July 2, 1916:

It eventually became clear that the German line followed points of eminence, always giving a commanding view of No Man’s Land.. Immediately in front, and spreading left and right until hidden from view, was clear evidence that the attack had been brutally repulsed. Hundreds of dead, many of the 37th Brigade, were strung out like wreckage washed up to a high-water mark. Quite as many died on the enemy wire as on the ground, like fish caught in a net. They hung there in grotesque postures. Some looked as though they were praying, they had died on their kneed and the wire had prevented their fall…. Concentrated machine gun fire from sufficient guns to command every inch of the wire, had done its terrible work. The Germans must have been reinforcing the wire for months. It was so dense that daylight could barely be seen through it.

Source C: Haig’s Last Despatch to the British Armies in France, March 21, 1919:

In every stage of the wearing-out struggle losses will necessarily be heavy on both sides, for in it the price of victory is paid. If the opposing forces are approximately equal in numbers, in courage, in morale and in equipment, there is no way of avoiding payment of the price or eliminating this phase of the struggle.


Source E: Going “over the top

Still from the film “The Battle of the Somme © IWM (Q 70168)

http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205021984

Source D: Daily Chronicle, July 3, 1916:

At about 7.30 o'clock this morning a vigorous attack was launched by the British Army. The front extends over some 20 miles north of the Somme. The assault was preceded by a terrific bombardment, lasting about an hour and a half. It is too early to as yet give anything but the barest particulars, as the fighting is developing in intensity, but the British troops have already occupied the German front line. Many prisoners have already fallen into our hands, and as far as can be ascertained our casualties have not been heavy.


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QUESTIONS ON THE BATTLE OF THE SOMME 1. What impressions of the Battle of the Somme do you get from Sources

A, B, D, E and F?

2. Do you think that there was unnecessary loss of life?

3. What impression of Douglas Haig do you get from Source C?

4. What does Source F make you feel? Explain your answer.

5. What do you think might be in the minds of the young men in Source E?

6. Using all the sources and your own knowledge, do you agree with the

accusation that the Battle of the Somme was a matter of “Lions led by

donkeys”?


German barbed wire still intact


Telegraph of William Crees’ death

POST OFFICE TELEGRAPHS

O H M S War Office

London

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

TO ( Crees 11 Church Path ( Meon Rd Gosport Deeply regret to inform you That 2nd Lt. W Creese 2nd Royal West Surrey Regt was killed in action 1st

July. The army Council express their sympathy. Secretary War Office

PORTSMOUTH 7 JY 16


Letter of sympathy to Mrs Crees from 2nd Queen’s Battalion, in France


Transcript of sympathy letter

2nd Queens

91st Infantry Bde B.E.F.

6th July 1916

Dear Mrs Crees

I am writing to express

my most heartfelt sympathy

for you in the loss of your hus-

son , he was an officer who

had on several occasions showed

his worth as a leader of men.

He fell ∧ during the attack + his

body was buried on the East side

of MAMETZ village with ∧ officers who

fell in this fight. Wooden crosses

have been put up with names + the

Regt to mark the grave – all kit +

personal belongings of your son will be

sent home to you. yrs v sincerely

-band

on 1st inst.

other

husband ∧


William Crees’ Gravestone:

“BELIEVED TO BE BURIED IN THIS CEMETERY

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