Section post on the Somme

New Zealand section post on the Somme, near Mailly-Maillet, France, 31 March, 1918.

Credit

Alexander Turnbull Library
Reference: 1/2-013080-G
Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Matauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any reuse of this image

How to cite this page

Section post on the Somme, URL: https://nzhistory.govt.nz/media/photo/section-post-somme, (Manatū Taonga — Ministry for Culture and Heritage), updated 29-Jul-2014

Keywords

Articles

Community contributions

0 comments have been posted about Section post on the Somme Post a Comment

Peter MacDonald Posted: 28 Apr 2010

this is not a Machine gun Post, it looks like a section post with the section Lewis gun at the sentry point,a Lewis gun is a light machine gun that can hold in its ammo drum a 30 or 50 round capability. a Machine gun the type Vickers used by NZ infantry is a battalion weapon and was not issued to 10 man sections in ww1. they are cooking up a brew on an improvised chuffer they have built,

Permalink

admin Posted: 28 Apr 2010

Hi Peter -

Thanks for this. The image was unfortunately published without our military historian checking it - I'll fix it now. Regards, Jamie Mackay, Web Editor

Permalink

Peter MacDonald Posted: 24 Apr 2011

These men are most likely from the Auckland Battalion - the NZ division was moved into the Ameins area to deflect the German attack on March 21 1918 operation Michael or the 1918 Battle of the Somme, the Germans using a new tactic of lighty armed storm troopers carrying rifles and grenades, storming through and going around strongholds in the British frontline leaving them to be mopped up by the following German army.. the Main goal of Op Michael was to take the Channal ports and cut the british supply line.. unfortunately for the German soldiers fighting, Ludendorf their General was not imaginative enough to understand these new tactics , and subsequently could not keep the stormtroopers supplied with amunition and food rations , so they became a spent force.. and also they were already half starved due to the economic blockade of Germany by the British Navy ..they were gorging themselves on the food rations and wine that were left behind by the retreating british which halted their momentum.these men in the pic have had hard fighting over the previous days and by this time have halted the german threat to Amiens..the NZ Division by 1918 was the most efficient division on the Western front in terms of their training and combat readiness and the British high command always Placed the NZ Division in areas of the frontline they could not afford to lose.. the man on the left of the pic is wearing a knitted scarf sent from NZ by a family member.. they are having a well earned tea break..

Permalink

Cathy Dixon Posted: 13 Jan 2020

My Grandfather, Alfred Roy Dixon (Roy) is third from the left, sitting, facing the camera. 1st batallion. Otago Regiment

Permalink

What do you know?

Can you tell us more about the information on this page? Perhaps you have a related experience you would like to share?

Your name

Email The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.

Comments will be reviewed prior to posting. Not all comments posted. Tell me more...

Today In History

See more

Section post on the Somme

How to cite this page

Keywords

What do you know?

Comment HTML

Culture & Society

Politics & Government

War & Society

The Classroom

Hands On History

Media Library

General

Today In History

See more

Section post on the Somme

How to cite this page

Keywords

Alfred de Bathe Brandon

Euan Dickson

Malcolm McGregor

William Rhodes-Moorhouse

Keith Caldwell

William Burn

Robert Logan

Ettie Rout

Archibald Baxter

Alexander Godley

James Allen

Ormond Burton

Andrew Hamilton Russell

George Butler

Nugent Welch

William Massey

Samuel Frickleton

Charles Begg

Bernard Freyberg

First World War glossary and list of abbreviations

Artillery units

1917: Arras, Messines and Passchendaele

Māori and Pacific units

Supply and Administrative Units

Medical Units of the NZEF

Specialist Units of the NZEF

First World War military formations

Government department rolls of honour and obituaries

New Zealand Army Nursing Service in the First World War

NZ Railways at war

The Public Service at war - overview

First World War by the numbers

First World War farewells

The Post and Telegraph Department at war

1918: spring offensive and advance to victory

Hospital ships

The War in the Air

New Zealand's First World War horses

The Salonika campaign

Children, schools and the First World War

Anzac Day in the Pacific

First World War art

The Royal New Zealand Navy

Featherston camp

Aftermath of WW1 in the South Pacific

The merchant marine in the First World War

Researching New Zealand soldiers in the First World War

Maori Units of the NZEF

Pacific Islanders in NZEF

The British Empire

The Allies

Central Powers

Palestine campaign

Sinai campaign

Imperial Camel Corps

Capture of German Samoa

Armistice Day

Military mascots

Passchendaele: fighting for Belgium

What do you know?

Comment HTML