How much did a British soldier carry into battle on the Somme

[fitz_merc]

In the first month of the Battle of the Somme how much equipment would a soldier have carried into battle. Was ot a full pack or were they ordered to carry as little as possible?

[JMB1943]

I hope that the following account will get you started.

From, "The Somme" by Peter Hart, p.111

"I will tell you what I carried: rifle and bayonet with a pair of wire cutters attached; a shovel fastened on my back; pack containing 2 days' rations, oil sheet , cardigan, jacket and mess tin; haversack containing one day's iron rations and two Mills Bombs; 150 rounds of ammunition; two extra bandoliers containing 60 rounds each, one over each shoulder; a bag of ten bombs."

Pte  Albert Andrews, 19th Bn, Manchester Regiment, 21st Brigade, 30th Divn.

rifle + bayonet + scabbard + 10 rounds in magazine ~ 12 lbs

Helmet                                                                         ~  2 lbs

270 Rounds of 303 ammo                                            ~ 17 lbs

12 Mills bombs                                                            ~ 12 lbs

Shovel                                                                           ~ 5 lbs

TOTAL ~ 48 lbs

Incidental odds & sods ~ 5-10 lbs

Regards,

JMB

Edit: corrected the number of Mills bombs from 20 t o12

Edited 14 August , 2022 by JMB1943

[fitz_merc]

Thank you

[Steve Goodall]

 

This video from Great War Huts will give you a decent idea… 

 

Edited 24 March , 2023 by Steve Goodall
Typo

[16thBNCanScotJim]

I suspect that the description provided by Pte Andrews is likely his personal kit, and does not mention a full canteen of water. Further, I assume that things have not changed too much in the past 107 years, but in my infantry experience, as the infantry was getting ready to go, support equipment was likely divided up within platoons, sections etc with items such as extra belts/trays of MG ammo for Lewis and Vickers guns, sand bags, wire etc as they expected the enemy to have been destroyed by the preparatory barrages, and the expectation was to occupy the objectives and consolidate them.
 

Jim

Edited 24 March , 2023 by 16thBNCanScotJim

[stevenbecker]

I use to have in my collection years ago, (when I collected this stuff), were the same 08 pattern Webb gear, but instead were made of leather not webb.

Someone told me it was made for cadets, but was the same size as the webb gear for soldiers.

S.B