In October 1916 Harold joined 1st Battalion Royal Marine Light Infantry in France as second in command - 1RM formed part of the 63rd Royal Naval Division. In November 1RM led the final stages of the Somme campaign at the Battle of Ancre. The battalion suffered very heavy casualties and of the officers only Lt Col Cartwright and Maj Ozanne survived unscathed.

Extract from official Battalion War Diary:

VARENNES

9th October 1916 Coy. training. A party of 6 Officers & 100 ORs under command of Mjr. OZANNE attended instruction in communicating with aircraft. The Bn. Signal Staff also attended. In afternoon Bn. left billets & marched to FORCEVILLE & where it went into billets.

FORCEVILLE

2th October Coy. training. Major OZANNE, Capts. POUNDS, CLARKE, PINKERTON & HOARE visited trench system E. of COLINCHAMPS.

13th October Coy. training. 1/RM provided funeral guard of 200 ORs at funeral of Capt. (T/Mjr) EP SKETCHLEY RMLI at Military Cemetery FORCEVILLE, under command of Major. H. OZANNE.

The final phase of the Battle of the Somme saw the 63rd Naval Division advance along the River Ancre to capture Beaucourt. The division had four objectives during the Battle of Ancre, the Dotted Green Line, the German front trench, then the Green Line, the road to Beaucourt station. The road ran along a fortified ridge. The Yellow Line was a trench which lay beyond the road, around the remains of Beaucourt on its south-west edge and the final objective, the Red Line, was beyond Beaucourt, where the division was to consolidate.

The plan was for the battalions to leap-frog towards the final objective. The 1st RMLI, Howe, Hawke and Hood battalions were assigned the Dotted Green Line and the Yellow Line, the 2nd RMLI, Anson, Nelson and Drake battalions were to take the Green and Red lines.

When the battle began in the early hours of 13 November, platoons from the 1st RMLI crawled across no-man's land towards the German line. A creeping barrage was fired by the British artillery but many casualties were suffered in no-man's land, about 50 percent of the total casualties occurring before the first German trench had been captured. German artillery-fire and machine-gun fire was so effective that all company commanding officers of the 1st RMLI were killed before reaching the first objective.

Extract from official Battalion War Diary:

Battle of the Ancre

13th November 1916 Bn. was the left of the 188th Inf. Bde. which attacked German trench system. It was in touch on left with 1/7 Gordon Highlanders. Following officers took part: Lt. Col. FJW CARTWRIGHT, Mjr VD LOXLEY killed, Capt CLE MUNTZ, wounded, Capt. H. HOARE killed, Capt. MC BROWNE DSC killed, Capt. GH Sulivan killed, Capt. JM POUND missing, Lt. FJ HANSON killed, Lt. AG KYLE wounded, Lt. C. WATKINS wounded, Lt. AC DONNE wounded, LT. E. COHEN wounded, Lt. N.B. WALKER wounded, LT. HB VAN PRAAGH, Lt. WM HODDING wounded, Lt. P. DEWAR wounded, 2/Lt. F. GOLDIE wounded, 2/Lt. E.L. PLATTS wounded, 2/Lt. CW MARTIN killed, Lt. JW RICHARDS missing, 2/Lt. HER UPHAM missing, Surgn. FB EYKYN - wounded.

The attack commenced on the opening of our barrage at 5.45am when the Bn. advanced in 4 waves- one platoon of each coy in a wave. There was a very thick mist. Every Company Commander was killed before crossing German Front Line. Enemy trenches were practically obliterated by our arty. NO MAN'S LAND & ground between various German lines, as far as slope down to STATION Road was pitted with shell holes, deep & very muddy. Ground crossed by this Bn. was particularly muddy which made advance difficult. Within a minute of our barrage starting, enemy replied with arty. barrage on support lines & No Mans land, where they also opened a heavy MG fire. It is estimated that at least 50% of casualties occurred between No Mans Land & German 1st Line. Between 2nd & 3rd Line, ground was swept with MG fire. Here also were heavy casualties. Isolated parties of this Bn. followed the barrage as far as YELLOW LINE & got in touch with HAC on right. They were not however sufficiently strong to close gap between HAC & Bn. on left. Remnant of this Bn held dotted BLUE LINE during night 13/14th, in partially constructed trench W. of STATION Rd. Touch was maintained during night with 4th Gordon Highlanders on left.

14th 6am Bn. advanced & dug in to E. of STATION Road. During course of day various small scattered parties re-joined. Capt. LF NOURSE & 80 reinforcements joined Bn. about 8pm. Position shelled intermittently thro' day & night.

15th Still being shelled. Bn. was withdrawn at 2pm marched to HEDAUVILLE by 6.30pm. Moved from there to PUCHVILLERS by lorries about 11.30pm.

Bn. advanced 490 strong & returned 138 strong having had 47 men killed, 210 wounded & 85 missing. Of the 22 officers who took part only 2 returned - 6 being killed, 11 wounded & 3 missing.

PUCHVILLERS

16th Resting & cleaning. Clear fine day.

17th Vacated billets & marched to GEZAINCOURT. Capt MUNTZ Died of wounds. Viewed by Divl. Genl.