Readers would have been cheered by stories of war successes

REMEMBERING July 1916, the Home Front and the Battle of the Somme which opened on 1 July 1916, the following article is taken from my book Yeovil in the Great War 1914-18.

- JACK SWEET Yeovil historian

‘When Yeovilians read their Western Gazettes on Friday 7 July 1916, the First World War would soon be entering its third year, and no doubt they would have been cheered to read of sweeping British successes, brilliant trench raids, fierce onslaughts, dauntless bravery, and the surrender of thousands of German troops. However, during the weeks and months to come, it would become apparent that the great battle which had begun and which would go down in history as the Battle of the Somme was far from the brilliant sweeping successes being read about in Yeovil on that Friday in the first week of July’

‘Far from the battlefield in that first week of July, the Yeovil High School for Girls held its annual sports on Wednesday the Sth in the school grounds in The Park, and it was reported that there was some excellent running and jumping. ‘The competition between the school forms was described as ‘spirited’ and ended in a victory for Form V. However, no prizes were awarded as the competitors voted for all the money collected for the sports to be given to the fund for English Prisoners of War in Germany.

‘On the 4 July, an American Sale drew a large and enthusiastic crowd to the grounds of Swallowcliffe in Kingston, the home of Mr F. Whitmarsh Mayo, to raise funds for the Swallowcliffe Patriotic Working Party. The Western Gazette reported that ‘The stalls were laden with fruit, cakes and miscellaneous articles and the sale was a great success’ Tea was served on the tennis lawn.