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The 109th Brigade Machine Gun Company Formed at Fienvillers and joined 36th (Ulster) Division, 26 January 1916. Moved into No 36 Bn, MGC 1 March 1918. The 36th Ulster Division are most famous for thier action on the 1st of July 1916, when they were one of the few Divisions to reach thier objective. The front lines were at the edge of Thiepval Wood, troops crossed about 400 yards of No Man's Land, entering the Schwaben Redoubt, (close to where the Ulster Tower stands today) then advancing on towards Stuff Redoubt. The men held out for the day but as their stocks of bombs and ammunition dwindled, they were forced to fall back.
The casualties suffered by the 36th Division on the 1st of July were over 5,000 in total. Nine men of the 36th Division were awarded the Victoria Cross on the 1st of July 1916.
On the 25th September 1917 the 9th (Service) Bn was renamed 9th (North Irish Horse) Battalion, absorbing two squadrons of the North Irish Horse.
The Ulster Tower, at Theipval is a memorial to the men of the 36th (Ulster) Division, built as a copy of Helen's Tower at Clandeboye, County Down, where men of the 36th Division trained. There is a small visitor centre with a cafe behind the tower which is staffed by members of the Somme Association. Inside the tower is a small chapel with a number of paintings and plaques from Northern Ireland.
Today Theipval Wood is owned by The Somme Association and guided tours are available of a section of recently excavated trenches.
Please note that Theipval Wood is not open the public, it is used by French huntsmen who use live ammunition and who will shoot, you are putting yourself at risk by entering without permission. Please go to the visitor centre at the Ulster Tower to arrange a guided tour.
A DVD is now available, released for the official opening of the wood for guided tours on the 1st of July 2006, follows the Community Archeology Project, undertaken by The Somme Association and No Man's Land, The European Group for Great War Archaeology.
You can order a copy on-line by clicking the image below:
List of those who served with The 109th Brigade Machine Gun Company during The Great War.
- N Coombe (d. 1st July 1916)
- George Edward Ebbs (d. 1st July 1916)
- Andrew Chichester Hart (d. 1st July 1916)
- George Ruddell (d. 1st July 1916)
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