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The 34th Division arrived in France in early 1916, and came down to the Somme several months prior to the battle. It took over the trenches in the La Boisselle - Ovillers sector, and on 1st July 1916 units from the division attacked Mash Valley at Ovillers, and towards Sausage Valley at La Boisselle. Both attacks failed with heavy losses; more than 6,000 on 1st July alone. The divisional commander, Major General E.C.Ingouville-Williams CB DSO ("Inky-Bill" to his men), was killed near Mametz Wood on 22nd July. Total losses on the Somme were 12,036. The memorial was constructed in the 1920s and is one of several that commemorates the division's actions on the Western Front. A large ceremony was held here on 1st July 1936 by the divisional old comrades association.
The memorial is on the eastern edge of the village, on the road to Contalmaison. Leaving the village there is a concrete water tower on the left, with a grass path going up to the left of it; follow this to the memorial.
