Lerwick Town Hall will host a public exhibition next week to mark the 110th anniversary of the Battle of the Ancre during the First World War.
The Battle of the Ancre took place from 13th to 18th November 1916 as the final phase of the four-month long Battle of the Somme in Northern France – one of the largest Allied offensives of the war. The Battle of the Ancre saw British and Commonwealth troops launch an attack near the Ancre River, to push back the German-held line and to capture the villages of Beaucourt and Beaumont Hamel.
Several British infantry divisions were involved in the fighting, including the 51st (Highland) Division, formed mainly of men recruited from the Scottish Highlands and Islands. With artillery support and in thick fog, the 51st eventually succeeded in capturing the village of Beaumont Hamel, which was almost reduced to rubble having been bombarded and fought over for several months.
Twenty-two young men from Shetland died in the Battle of the Ancre, either during the fighting or from injuries sustained in battle. Eight of these were former pupils at Anderson High School in Lerwick.
Nineteen of these men were Gordon Highlanders – eleven with the 51st Highland Division who attacked Beaumont Hamel, and eight were with the British Army’s 3rd Division who attacked Serre, further to the north. Most of these men had been ‘Territorials’ who had all trained in Shetland, before leaving the isles together on the troop ship SS Cambria in June 1915 and who soon found themselves on the Western Front.
News of the loss of life in November 1916 devastated the lost soldiers’ families across the isles and brought the cost of the First World War painfully close to home.
On the weekend of 13th to 15th November 2026, Lerwick Town Hall will be open with exhibits from Shetland Museum, and donated items from local families with connections to the Battle of the Ancre. Displays will share historical details of this episode in the context of the First World War, as well as photographs and stories of the local men who fell in the battle. A short video will show the journey of young Shetlander Private Andrew Williamson, from Lerwick in 1914 to the trenches of France.
Lerwick Town Hall will be open on:
- Friday 13th November from 2pm to 7pm
- Saturday 14th November from 11am to 3pm
- and on Sunday 15th November from 11am to 3pm
Local school groups will also visit the exhibition on Friday morning as part of pupils’ history studies.
Bryan Peterson, Convener of Shetland Islands Council, said: “The Battle of the Ancre was one of the darkest periods for our community during the First World War, and we must remember the lives lost and honour their memory. I’m grateful to all who have contributed exhibits and information for this special exhibition, and I hope that folk can find time to visit the Town Hall to help mark this important anniversary.”
The Annual Parade of Remembrance will also take place on Sunday 8th November at the County War Memorial at Hillhead in Lerwick. The public are invited to attend, with assembly from 10.40am and wreaths laid at 11am.
Lerwick Town Hall will also be lit red each evening from Wednesday 4th to Wednesday 11th November in support of the annual Poppy Scotland Appeal.