sheffield memorial park and railway hollow cemetery

A very moving place dedicated to the sacrifce of the Pals Battalions on 1st July 1916. Access is a little interesting depending on how wet the weather has been.

Lost a Great Uncle at this spot on 1/7/1916 so very special to be the first ones from the family to visit here in 98 years. Outline of trench clearly visible plus memorial to Pals.

You can drive up to the memorial park but it is a short walk along a muddy track to this memorial to the Pals Battalions, if you park on the road.. Here the true scale of the war both in its size and in its effects on individuals and families will strike home.Many soldiers died here on the morning of 1st July 1916. The small copse has now regrown but the feeling of loss remains in the air.

We have visited here twice now with a large group of young people. We tend to approach from the west passing the very large cemeteries next to the road. We park in front of Serre Road Cemetery No1, so as not to upset the farmer whose track leads up to Serre Road No3. Cemetery and the others on that hill side.Please keep to the track, its an active farm.You could see live munitions at the side of the track, near the farm. Don't Touch them.A short walk up the hill is really worthwhile. The openness of the landscape and hill that the soldiers who advanced up there had to cross is really quite frightening.We always lay a wreath here for those from our locality who didn't return.

The memorial itself is tucked away in a wooded area away from the main road and is a really peaceful area, a really tranquil setting for the memorial and cemetery. Parking is a bit difficult as unless you have an off road-vehicle I wouldn't recommend driving up the dirt track. Park at the small lay-by by the road and walk up the track.

One of the most moving spots on the Somme battlefields. I think this place is heavy with atmosphere, almost spooky.

This area commerates the sacrifice of the Pals battalions on 1/7/16, with memorials to the Barnsley Pals and Accrington Pals.Although it's called the Sheffield Memorial Park, the actual Sheffield City Battalion Memorial is on the main road in Serre.It's a good walk up a rough track to reach the memorial park. Good shoes/boots recommended. It was slushy when we visited in March.The park itself is unremarkable compared to the huge monuments such as Thiepval, but it's especially poignant, being a battlefield cemetery. There are several smaller cemeteries on the walk up from Serre such as Luke copse.All beautifully maintained. Look at the directories placed in the walls of each cemetery , which often contain notes from relatives.This is a battlefield cemetery,so no visitor centre or facilities.Personal crusade for me to see where my grandfather went over the top. He survived to live to the age of 90.If you are interested in the history of the Barnsley Battalions read Barnsley Pals by John Cooksey (there is a similar book for Accrington Pals) or Covenent with Death (fictional account based on Sheffield City Battalion) by John Harris.

Situated at the site of great loss of life, one can imagine the battle that occurred here when you look around at the surrounding countryside. Cemetery is well kept and the Memorials are well presented

The memorial park consists of about an acre of land which was planted with trees after the war but looks otherwise untouched. The cemetery is at the base of the park down quite a steep slope which could be a challenge for those who are less mobile but there are a number of other cemeteries surrounding the park which are easy to access.

Being from Sheffield this is a dead cert when visiting the battlefields of the Somme. Not the most easily accessible but a homing ground for northerners the woods house memorials to the Sheffield Pals, the Bradford Pals and the Accrington Pals, plus the Railway Hollow Cemetery.

Nothing encapsulates the horror of the opening day of the Battle of the Somme like this now quiet and peaceful spot close to the village of Serre. The individual memorials to the men of the North Country city battalions here on 1/7/1916 cannot fail to move and the small cemeteries situated in what was then no man's land that still contain so many of them seem to this writer to impact as much if not more than the larger ones close by.As with any site a bit of pre visit research will be valuable but one novel published many years ago about a fictional unit but based on the experience of the Sheffield City Battalion will give depth to an intended visit "Covenant with Death" by John Harris if it can be located otherwise there are excellent modern photo histories such as William Turner's "Pals" The 11th Service Btn East Lancs Rgt ISBN0 9507892 4 0 and others which are prodigies of devoted research.

I found this area very moving. It is down a long fairly uneven track but is well worth the visit. The Sheffield pals, Barnsley pals and Accrington pals were all based in this small copse prior to going over the top on their assault on the 1st July 1916, when unfortunately there were many losses. It is possible to see the original trench and approximate german position so you can easily imagine what it must have been like. There are information boards which explain what happened and a beautifully kept cemetry in the hollow behind the copse.

There is a small cemetery here for the Barnsley Pals. Some of the original trenches remain. Look from the trench line to the cemetery, 75 yards? They are buried at the limit of their advance up the slope. So thought provoking.

I tried to read a quote from some of the officers who fought here to a group of friends I had taken. I couldnt read it due to the lump in my throat. A fitting tribute to a complete waste of a generation. RIP the fallen.