Quite possibly my favourite battlefield location. Why? One can wander the rides of the wood alone and enjoy peace and quiet to be present in the moment. At the same time however, if you stand still for a moment the wood feels alive. You can stand at one side of the wood and see the entry of the 9th Scottish Division troops. Stand by South African Brigade HQ and imagine the officers trying to make sense of this tangled mess. Conjure the images of the fierce hand to hand combat, the artillery storm - just stand still and you can see it all.

Throughout July, August and September 1916, Delville Wood became an attritional killing ground.

]The 9th (Scottish) Division had 7,517 casualties from 1 to 20 July, of which the 1st (South African) Infantry Brigade lost 2,536 men. Many Divisions were thrown into the battle here including the 3rd Division, 5th, 17th, 8th, 14th, 33rd and 24th.

There would be thousands of casualties and the wood would become infamous to many survivors, including my Great Grandfather, 2/Lt Middleton