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‘He was shot in the leg and arm but kept throwing bombs’: Son reveals the heroic tale which won his father one of the 49 Victoria Crosses awarded for The Battle of the Somme

Lieutenant Tom Adlam received the top military award after leading a team who stormed a German trench

A MAN has revealed how his heroic dad was awarded Britain's top military honour for the Battle of the Somme - bloodiest battle of the First World War and British military history.

Only 49 Victoria Crosses were awarded to British soldiers in the battle which left more than one million soldiers killed or injured in the fighting that lasted 141 days.

Lieutenant Tom Adlam was awarded the Victoria Cross for his bravery at the First World War's Battle of the Somme
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Lieutenant Tom Adlam was awarded the Victoria Cross for his bravery at the First World War's Battle of the SommeCredit: PA:Press Association

Lieutenant Tom Adlam was one of those who received the Victoria Cross on the Somme, after leading a team who stormed a German trench.

His son Clive Adlam, now 87, from Braintree in Essex, told how the "bombing officer" with the Bedfordshire Regiment led his men, throwing grenades as they made their way down the enemy lines in front of Thiepval after previous attacks had failed.

Speaking at the Imperial War Museum, he said said: "Once there the men all passed their bombs along to him, because he was very good at throwing.

The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for bravery 'in the face of the enemy'
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The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for bravery 'in the face of the enemy'Credit: BNPS
The of the Somme is the most notorious conflict in the history the British military
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The of the Somme is the most notorious conflict in the history the British militaryCredit: PA
First World War British soldiers in their “home” on the Somme
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First World War British soldiers in their “home” on the SommeCredit: Topham Picturepoint
1.7 million shells the British fired at German soldiers – many didn’t explode
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1.7 million shells the British fired at German soldiers – many didn’t explodeCredit: PA IMAGES MOVED ACROSS
Each British soldier carried five stone of equipment
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Each British soldier carried five stone of equipmentCredit: PA ARCHIVE IMAGES
By the end of the offensive in November 1916, almost 500,000 Brits were casualties.
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By the end of the offensive in November 1916, almost 500,000 Brits were casualties.Credit: PA IMAGES MOVED ACROSS
World War One - British Empire - Western Front - Battle of the Somme - 1916
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The biggest problems for troops were the ravages of lice, rats and boredom
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The biggest problems for troops were the ravages of lice, rats and boredomCredit: Topham Picturepoint
The battle took place between 1 July and 18 November 1916
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The battle took place between 1 July and 18 November 1916
British soldiers negotiating a shell-cratered
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British soldiers negotiating a shell-crateredCredit: PA:Press Association Wire
25 miles of front line that the battle was fought on
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 25 miles of front line that the battle was fought onCredit: PA:Press Association
More than 70,000 lie in unmarked graves
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More than 70,000 lie in unmarked gravesCredit: PA:Press Association

"Then he started throwing bombs in front of him down the German trench until eventually they ran out of bombs."

The following day he led a team that took another trench, despite being shot in the leg and then in his right throwing-arm, simply swapping to throw grenades left-handed.

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After the lieutenant was taken back to a hospital where he started receiving messages of congratulations.

"He had no idea why, so he sent a telegram to his father ... and he said 'why congratulations, what for?'," his son said.

"His father sent back saying the press had been round, wanting your photograph, you've been awarded the Victoria Cross. That was the first he knew of it."

Trench warfare saw British troops fight off sniper fire, incoming shells and night raids by German troops
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Trench warfare saw British troops fight off sniper fire, incoming shells and night raids by German troops
The reckless nature of the offensive led those at home to coin the term ‘Lions led by Donkeys’, referring to the mistakes generals made, leading to the deaths of British Tommies
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The reckless nature of the offensive led those at home to coin the term ‘Lions led by Donkeys’, referring to the mistakes generals made, leading to the deaths of British TommiesCredit: Getty Images
As the stalemate entered the winter months the battlefield became a quagmire courtesy of the torrential rains. Men and horses often drowned in the horrific conditions
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As the stalemate entered the winter months the battlefield became a quagmire courtesy of the torrential rains. Men and horses often drowned in the horrific conditions
By the end of the offensive hundreds of thousands of Brits were dead – and the Allies had gained barely any ground from the Germans
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By the end of the offensive hundreds of thousands of Brits were dead – and the Allies had gained barely any ground from the Germans
20,000 British soldiers who died on the first day of fighting alone
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20,000 British soldiers who died on the first day of fighting aloneCredit: PA:Press Association
British troops on the march towards the front lines in the River Somme valley
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British troops on the march towards the front lines in the River Somme valleyCredit: PA IMAGES MOVED ACROSS
The youngest British soldier who fought was age 12
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The youngest British soldier who fought was age 12Credit: PA IMAGES MOVED ACROSS

Like many men who fought in the war he was reluctant to talk about it.

Clive did not find out about his dad's heroic actions until the 1970s, when the war veteran was asked to be interviewed about it.

"When I was younger, as a child, it didn't seem to mean very much to me," Clive admitted. "I didn't really realise what it was all about.

"As I grew older I realised what he had done and after that interview I was astonished at what he had done.

"I just felt like I could never ever have done anything like that myself and I remember he told me, he said he must have been mad at the time. I think probably he was."

Lt Adlam went on to become a teacher after the war before being called up to serve again in 1939 as a Lieutenant Colonel.

He died in 1975.

From left to right: Theodore Veale, Arthur Procter, Archie White, Robert Ryder, James Hutchinson and Tom Adlam all won the Victoria Cross at the First World War's Battle of the Somme
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From left to right: Theodore Veale, Arthur Procter, Archie White, Robert Ryder, James Hutchinson and Tom Adlam all won the Victoria Cross at the First World War's Battle of the SommeCredit: PA:Press Association
Headstones around the Thiepval Memorial in France which holds the names of more than 72,000 officers and men who died in the Somme
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Headstones around the Thiepval Memorial in France which holds the names of more than 72,000 officers and men who died in the SommeCredit: PA:Press Association

The Victoria Cross, has only been awarded 1,356 times, was instituted by Queen Victoria in 1856.

It is awarded for "most conspicuous bravery, or some daring or pre-eminent act of valour or self-sacrifice, or extreme devotion to duty in the presence of the enemy" to military and civilians.

The Battle of the Somme: Lions led by donkeys

Britain hoped to make the decisive blow against Germany on the banks of the Somme river in northern France after two years of stalemate in the trenches.

British generals hoped they could break through German lines and relieve pressure on the embattled French who were involved in a life and death struggle with Germany at Verdun.

A terrifying two-week artillery barrage aimed to soften up the Germans and clear the barbed wire that ran across No Man's Land - the area of muddied earth between the opposing trenches.

On 1 July 1916 the order came to go over the top, and hundreds of thousands of British and Commonwealth troops strolled across No Man's Land.

They were met with a hail of lead as German defenders emerged from deep shelters to man their machine guns. By the end of the day 60,000 Allied troops were casualties with 20,000 of those dead.

It was the worst day in the history of the British army.

Britain achieved some of its objectives, but a stalemate ensued for the next four months as the soldiers became bogged down in a muddied quagmire as the winter set in.

By the end of the offensive in November 1916, almost 500,000 Brits were casualties. More than 70,000 lie in unmarked graves.

A further 250,000 French and nearly 550,000 Germans meant more than a million casualties were recorded in just four months.

The carnage of trench warfare summed up the terror of war for many at home in Britain and led to the accusations that brave Tommies resembled lions being led to their needless deaths by the donkey-like generals.

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