Meet the Broughty Ferry man who bought a Somme battlefield and has now written a book about the iconic First World War site.
Military historian Bob Paterson acquired the Butte de Warlencourt site in 2018.
The ancient chalk mound was the scene of one of the First World War’s bloodiest battles as British troops sought to dislodge well-defended German forces.
The Butte (French for hill) was dubbed “Little Gibraltar” and was heavily fortified with barbed wire, machine guns, tunnels and mortars.
Its capture became an “obsession” for the Allies — hundreds of soldiers died trying to claim the prehistoric burial site, despite some claiming it had little strategic value.
The Butte – which was never captured – marked the final line of the British advance in November 1916 and Bob is working to restore the site to attract more visitors.
How do you buy a battlefield?
Dundee gave 6,089 soldiers who fought and lost their lives during the First World War and Bob’s father told him stories of the impact on the City of Discovery.
Those stories ignited a desire to learn more and Bob developed a deep passion for researching the history of the First World War and especially the Battle of the Somme.
One of his first trips to the Western Front was to visit the grave of his wife’s great uncle, Hugh Carmichael, who was killed in the Battle of Festubert in May 1915.
Bob – who held senior positions in local well-known companies before taking early retirement two years ago – bought a property near the Butte site with his wife in 2007.
He also established the Tayside branch of the Western Front Association (WFA) in 2008, before joining the WFA’s National Executive Committee as European Officer.
The WFA purchased the Butte in 1990 and Bob’s remit was to lead an effort to restore and improve it to make it a big attraction for visitors to the Somme battlefield.
Bob served as chairman of the WFA between November 2014 and July 2016, before leaving the executive committee.
The WFA had severe operational difficulties in looking after the Butte, which resulted in Bob being offered the chance to buy his beloved site in 2018 to finish the restoration project he had previously led and which had subsequently regressed.
Bob’s book about the Battle of the Somme highlights the fighting which took place south of the famous Albert-Bapaume road.
Bob said: “I started putting pen to paper three years ago and the draft was handed over in September 2020 with publication delayed by the pandemic.
“The books in the Battleground Somme series are well written and highly illustrated, which not only bring the battlefields alive for visitors but inform and entertain readers at home.
“The Butte de Warlencourt had never been covered so I saw it as a vital step in it telling its story and getting more visitors to engage with it.
“It is an immense honour to be custodian of the Butte de Warlencourt indeed.
“It is a very special place, with a very special history which many people do not necessarily know about.
“The Butte has a story to tell and through the book and various other avenues we are now telling its story.
“We are now putting the Butte firmly on the tourist map.”
In figures that are still difficult to comprehend, by the end of the first day of fighting on July 1 the British suffered 57,000 casualties, of whom 20,000 were dead.
However, Bob is eager to stress that the Somme was a battle that lasted more than 20 weeks so there was a lot of fighting after that infamous first day.
He said: “Sadly, there was a lot of additional casualties also but these tend to be ignored due to the overpowering statistics from day one.
“The main attacks on the Butte in 1916 came that autumn where the British also had a second enemy to contend with – the dreaded Somme mud.
“The weather was appalling and some veterans said the mud was equally as bad, if not worse, compared to Passchendaele the following year.
When the project is finished as per my vision, it will be time for new custodians.”
Bob Paterson
“The Germans held the Butte de Warlencourt at the end of the Battle of the Somme in 1916, after various British attacks to capture the Butte failed.
“The Germans were to leave in February 1917 as part of their retreat to their new line of defences called the Hindenburg Line.
“At that point, the Butte fell into British hands.
“The Germans were to return in their spring offensive of 1918; however, that offensive was ultimately to fail, resulting in the Armistice to be signed in the forest of Compiegne in November 1918.”
British Empire forces suffered around 420,000 casualties, French forces 200,000 and the German losses were estimated to be around 450,000.
Forgotten hero
Bob’s book also reveals the story of a well-known Dundee chartered accountant who was killed during the battle aged 41 and is buried on the Somme.
Captain Thomas Rorie joined The Black Watch following the outbreak of war and was attached to the 10th Gloucestershire Regiment when he died.
The former Dundee High School pupil was a member of several public bodies and was also well-known in sporting circles as a cricketer for Forfarshire.
He left behind a widow and young child, although families would often have to wait weeks or even months to find out the fate of their loved ones.
Improvements undertaken by Bob at the Butte since 2018 include path upgrades and the erection of information boards and increased signage.
Bob added: “Apart from envisaging several pathway threads being replaced, there is an exciting project in hand whereby this year we will start establishing a new natural pathway around the base of the Butte whereby visitors can either go to the top or take this new path.
“If they do both their engagement time on site will be trebled, as such.
“The new pathway will allow views up the side of the hill never seen before and it will also take folk very close indeed to the location of key trenches in 1916.
“It’s a pleasure and also very exciting to lead the project to love and care for the Butte.”
A lovely coloured version of a well known picture. From https://t.co/qcvengblQ7 King George on top of the Butte de Warlencourt on the Somme battlefields in 1917 pic.twitter.com/iPndI7Ayef
— Butte de Warlencourt (@ButteDeWar) April 28, 2022
The Butte now has its own dedicated website and more than 1,000 followers on Instagram and Twitter, which is not bad for a 60-foot hill in northern France!
Apart from welcoming visitors from the UK, the site is very popular with battlefield tourists from France, Holland and Belgium.
Bob has no plans to enjoy a proper retirement until his vision is complete.
“When the project is finished as per my vision, it will be time for new custodians,” he said.
“I sadly admit I am getting old; however, by that point I certainly will have done my bit for the Butte and will not have let it down.
“They will be the custodian of a perfect iconic site when the day comes and it’s vital to me that it continues that way, including all the accessories such as the website, social media, and the Butte Association.
“Various folk have already shown an interest in the Butte but nothing will happen until the project is finished.”
The site is free to visit and details on how to support the project can be found here.
- The Somme 1916: Martinpuich and the Butte de Warlencourt is on sale now.
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