Lest we forget: the day that Sussex died
November 8, 2018
The battle of the Boar’s Head
On 30 June 1916 more than 1,300 men from the South Downs and Sussex were killed or injured in just one day in just one battle.
To mark the 100th anniversary of the Armistice Sussex composer Damian Montagu and artist Russell Cobb have released a new collaborative animation remembering the Battle of the Boar’s Head, now come to be known as ‘the day that Sussex died’.
Composer Damian Montagu was inspired to write his new piece ‘The Boar’s Head’ after hearing the story of ‘the Day that Sussex died.’ On 30 June 1916 men from the 11th, 12th and 13th Southdowns Battalions of the Royal Sussex Regiment were ordered to make an attack at the Battle of the Boar’s Head in an attempt to divert German attention ahead of the Battle of the Somme.
“This piece came to me whilst walking in the South Downs National Park. I had recently learned how so many local families were bereaved as a result of the terrible loss of life resulting from the Battle of the Boar’s Head,” says composer Damian Montagu. The story is of the men from the 11th, 12th and 13th Southdowns Battalions of the Royal Sussex Regiment who had been ordered to make an attack at the Battle of the Boar’s Head in an attempt to divert German attention ahead of the Battle of the Somme.
“I was struck by the contrast between our beautiful landscape, the horror of war, and the selfless bravery of those Sussex soldiers who sacrificed their lives for our freedom.”
Crossing bridges over drainage ditches left the men exposed to German guns, the men who made it past no man’s land were caught in their own smokescreen and others were trapped in an unnoticed dyke before the Germans forced a British retreat. In total 366 men were killed and more than 1,000 wounded or taken prisoner – the majority of those that died came from the South Downs part of Sussex and are thought to have included 12 sets of brothers.
The story of these men’s terrible sacrifice, told through Damian’s music, is brought to life in a heart-breaking animation by Sussex artist Russell Cobb based on archive photography of the real men who fought that day. Russell based some of his figurative portraits on archive photography of the real men who fought that day.
“My drawings are a response to the soundtrack itself, and then subsequent discussions that we had about the project, sketchbook notes and photographic reference,” says Russell. “Some of the figurative drawings are original portraits, others are WW1 re-enactors that I have photographed.”
“It’s wonderful to see my work fused together with Damian’s music and moving image.”
Nick Heasman, Countryside and Policy Manager for the South Downs National Park, continues: “This is a fitting tribute to the 4,500 soldiers, men from the South Downs, who went into battle that day. Every community in and around what is now the Sussex part of the National Park was touched by loss that day. In the future we hope to support the creation of a new wood in Sussex in their memory.”
Collaboration is an important part of Damian Montagu’s work, with the actor Hugh Bonneville having contributed and narrated written reflections on debut album ‘In a South Downs Way’ and with ex-Paul Weller trumpeter Stewart Prosser, Damian’s partner on the whole project. For ‘The Boar’s Head’ he has once again worked with Stewart and with local orchestrator Robert Sword on musical production and as instrumentalists.
The track will be released on Friday 9 November on the ‘Walk upon England’ label www.walkuponengland.com as well as available to download and stream on all major online platforms including iTunes, Apple Music and Spotify worldwide. https://listnin.co/TheBoarsHead