Mastermind TONIGHT

[old-ted]

Hello to all forum pals.

Just a quick note that on tonight's Mastermind (10th March) BBC2 7.30pm one of the contestants will be answering questions on the Battle of the Somme. We're looking forward to checking our knowledge as the questions are asked. Keep your scores and post them here after the programe but no cheating. It will also be interesting to have your comments on the questions. Writing questions is a difficult task.

Meet you here later.

Keep the Candle Burning.

John & Kathleen

[1st east yorks]

John and Kathleen,

Good idea,i will post my score(unless its exceptionally poor)later.

Thanks for letting us know its on,i hadn't seen it.

Anthony.

[Pighills]

Oh what a shame I'll be at college tonight and won't be able to partake (phew, that was a close one!!).

Seriously though, I just half heard it on Radio 2 and wondered what they were on about, so thanks for enlightening us.

[Coldstreamer]

I will watch it for a change - be pleased with a point as the CG didnt take part until September 15th

[Ulsterlad]

That bloke was excellent. 15 correct answers. Only one wrong at the end and no passes.

[AlanCurragh]

I would have got 10 points - suspect that will be looking a little inadequate if other Pals post their scores...

Alan

[1st east yorks]

I got 11 right,i knew the Noel Chavasse question but counldn't remember it in time.

Anthony.

[PhilB]

11. I might have got more if the wife had kept quiet. But maybe not!

[ianjohnson1@blueyonder]

John & Kathleen,

Not very good....9 points and one of those was for getting my name right!!!!.

All the best,

Ian.

[old-ted]

OK so we got 12 between us but was'nt he great. we hope he wins!

John & Kathleen

[auchonvillerssomme]

11

Mick

[old-ted]

Well, our man did not win but he got more points than we did.

Bit of fun is OK now & then. Thanks for your replies

Regards

J&K

[barrieduncan]

Managed to miss the 1st round completely, caught the General Knowledge round - don't suppose anyone made a note of the questions?

[Mark Hone]

Being a bit controversial, I didn't think that most of the questions were that tricky considering that the chap has had the opportunity to bone up on the subject beforehand. I think that's probably true of most of the special subjects for somebody who's interested in that sort of thing. Probably train buffs think that the railway specialist subjects are a piece of cake etc. Mind you, I'm not sitting there in the black chair...

[Norrette]

I was rubbish, only about 4 right. But I was surprised about the later comments when Humphreys and he discussed what the men had to go through. As far as I was aware they had to cross no man's land at walking speed to synchronise with the creeping barrage - it wasn't a stupid order at all?

Norrette

[armourersergeant]

Well, who was the bloke then? One of our lot?

regards

Arm

[Coldstreamer]

I got 3 but there where several where my second guess would have been right - I think in that respect they seemed quite easy

got the time wrong - but its was the time for the Coldstream attack on the 15th!!

[Mark Hone]

At the risk of getting into another discussion of Somme tactics, most British units did not use a true creeping barrage on 1st July. Those units that did, such as 30th Division , tended to be successful. There was a lot of delegation of specific tactics down to Corps and Divsion level (contrary to popular belief) and most of these opted for the simpler 'lifting barrage' which moved , as the name suggests, from one German defensive line to the next in pre-programmed jumps. Unfortunately these lifts tended to be rather optimistic on the day and simply took the fire support away from the attacking infantry. The 'walking across no-man's land' idea was again left to Corps/ Divison discretion and not all units complied with it. (36th Ulster division being a famous example). It was adopted for a number of reasons but basically it was to preserve unit cohesion in a move which was literally supposed to be a walk over to shattered enemy positions with the main battle then taking place in the defence of the captured trenches from the inevitable German counter-attacks. People have become fixated on this but, as Peter Hart points out in his excellent book on the Somme, success or failure of attacks depended almost entirely on the artillery support. If that failed it didn't matter if the infantry were walking or running. And anyway the idea that the British Army subsequently abandoned attacks at walking pace and has ever since advanced everywhere at the run is palpable nonsense. You see walking speed attacks in both world wars, often as you say behind creeping barrages, and goodness knows, in my very limited military experience I've taken part in a few.

[squirrel]

Er........................I got 14 right. It was the name of the German General and the name of the trench that caught me out. Mind you I was glued to the set with the volume turned up.

[mickm]

The questions;

1. On the 1st July 1916, at what time did the whistles blow to signal the start of the allied attack?

2. Who was the commander of the British 4th army that was formed to be the main British force at the Somme?

3. Which Dominion's forces were nearly wiped out on the first day when they suffered losses of around 90%?

4. What name was commonly given to the battalions that consisted of men from the same area or occupations which suffered very heavy losses at the

Somme?

5. Which Captain of the Royal Army Medical Corps won his first V.C for his actions in tending the wounded in the battle for Guillemont?

6. The seven days of allied bombardment that preceded the battle were each known by a letter. By what letter was the first day of the actual battle known?

7. Which specialist in defence replaced General Groener? as Chief of Staff of the German 2nd army in the early days of the battle?

8. The South African brigade were ordered to take and hold which wood at all costs and lost around three quarters of their men in doing so. It is now the site

of the South African National Monument.

9.Which unit of Irish Nationalist volunteers captured the village of Ginchy on the 9th September?

10. At the end of August which German prince was given command of a group of armies that included the 1st, 2nd and 6th armies which had all fought at the

Somme?

11. The 51st Highland Division captured which village on the 13th November. The event is commemorated by a statue of a kilted soldier in Newfoundland

Memorial Park?

12. In mid July the Indian 20th Deccan Horse regiment and which British regiment took part in the only major cavalry action of the Somme?

12. Numerous costly attempts were made to capture which ancient burial mound of bare white chalk during the latter stages of the battle?

14. Pozieres ridge was described as a site more densely sown with sacrifice from which country than any other place on earth?

15. Which author was badly wounded at the Somme? He recalled the incident in his autobiography 'Goodbye To All That'.

16. On the 18th November, the Munich trench and which other German trench, where a group of british soldiers was cut off, was the scene of the last

actions of the battle?

mick

[Crunchy]

And the answers are ......

[bruce]

I got ten...but did better than he did on the general knowledge. Wonder what that says about me?

Bruce

[Michelle Young]

I got 13

Michelle

[ianw]

Any chance of some kind soul posting the answers? Suspect I have 11 or so.

[armourersergeant]

Well,

Just done the quiz. Until someone posts the answers I await my score. Not being a Somme expert I have to say they seem rather 'easy' given he would have had a brush up.

I think I got about ten.

regards

Arm