The Devonshires Held this Trench - Exmouth Museum and Heritage Centre registered charity 1216717

By: Alan Arthur
Added: 10 May 2016

BATTLE OF THE SOMME

A number of people have asked for information concerning the WWI Cemetery featured a few weeks ago.  

Mametz was within the German lines until the first day of the Battle of the Somme, 1 July 1916 when it was captured by the 7th Division.

The 8th and 9th Battalions of the Devonshire Regiment, which were part of the 7th Division, attacked from a point on the south-west side of the Albert-Maricourt road, due south of Mametz village, by a plantation called Mansel Copse.

On 4 July the Devonshires returned to this location and established a cemetery, burying 153 of their dead comrades in a section of their old front line trench. 

The inscription reads

 “The Devonshires held this trench, The Devonshires hold it still”