The Taking of Beaumont Hamel:
Beaumont Hamel was part of the great Battle of the Somme in 1916 but, according to one authority, "The Taking of Beaumont Hamel" commemorates a lighter moment in this gruesome chapter of the War.

A piper, lieutenant, and sergeant (no, it’s not a joke…) found themselves in the invidious position of being cut off behind enemy lines at one end of the village of  Beaumont Hamel, while on the other side of the town the Regiment was attacking the Germans holding it.

Trenches at Beaumont Hamel

However, upon striking up "The Cambells are Coming", the three had the satisfaction of seeing the Germans retire, apparently under the impression that another force was now attacking them in the rear! The village was eventually captured by the Highland Division in November 1916.

John M’Lellan, a piper in the same Company of the 8^th Battalion Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders as William Laurie (see Battle of the Somme), composed the tune to commemorate the event. Apparently M'Lellan himself must have been cool under fire as he was given to composing light verse even when only 100 yards from the enemy.

The story, related in "The Pipes in Peace and War" (a popular history of pipers in the British Army written shortly after the Great War) is a nice one, but is rather over-shadowed by the awful realities of this battle. Two main battles were fought here. The tune commemorates the second, in November 1916. The first involved the Newfoundland Regiment from

Soldiers "going over the top" at Beaumont Hamel

Canada, and for them Beaumont Hamel is especially significant. The Regiment was ordered to advance on the first day of the battle, having to cross hundreds of yards of exposed ground against withering fire from German machine guns and artillery. The Regiment was completely decimated within 30 minutes. No unit suffered greater losses in the whole of the Battle of the Somme.

Beaumont Hamel is also significant owing to the work of Geoffrey Malins, the official British Cinematographer, who filmed many of the events around Beaumont Hamel and included them in his 1916 film "The Battle of the Somme". Most important among these was his filming of the detonating of the mine under Hawthorn Ridge Redoubt on the 1st July 1916 which began the Battle of the Somme.

The battle field of Beaumont Hamel became a memorial park in 1922. A bronze caribou ("wapiti" in New Zealand) stands sentinel over the park, and is surrounded by plants native to Newfoundland. The battle field was left as is was and the Park is now one of the most visited sites of the old Western Front. You can take a "virtual tour" of the Memorial Park at this site.