Sausage Valley was the name given by British

British Empire

The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...

 soldiers during the First World War

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

 to a shallow valley south of the village of La Boisselle in the Somme

Somme

Somme is a department of France, located in the north of the country and named after the Somme river. It is part of the Picardy region of France....

 département, France. Sausage Valley was so named because the Germans would fly an observation balloon

Balloon (aircraft)

A balloon is a type of aircraft that remains aloft due to its buoyancy. A balloon travels by moving with the wind. It is distinct from an airship, which is a buoyant aircraft that can be propelled through the air in a controlled manner....

, known as a "sausage", at the head of the valley. The neighbouring valley to the north of La Boisselle was therefore logically known as Mash Valley.

Sausage Valley was the scene of heavy fighting during the early stages of the Battle of the Somme

Battle of the Somme (1916)

The Battle of the Somme , also known as the Somme Offensive, took place during the First World War between 1 July and 14 November 1916 in the Somme department of France, on both banks of the river of the same name...

. On the first day on the Somme

First day on the Somme

The first day on the Somme, 1 July 1916, was the opening day of the Battle of Albert, which was the first phase of the British and French offensive that became known as the Battle of the Somme...

, 1 July 1916, the 101st Brigade of the 34th Division made a failed attack up the valley. They were followed up by the 1st and 4th Tyneside Irish battalions of the 103rd (Tyneside Irish) Brigade, some of which managed to traverse the valley and advance towards Contalmaison

Contalmaison

Contalmaison is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:Contalmaison is situated on the D147 and D20 crossroads, some northeast of Amiens.-History:...

 before being captured or killed.

Once the villages of La Boisselle and Fricourt

Fricourt

Fricourt is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:Fricourt is situated on the D147 and D64 junction, some northeast of Amiens.-History:...

, which flanked the valley, were captured, Sausage Valley became an important thoroughfare, supply dump and artillery

Artillery

Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...

 base for the British. The head of the valley was known as "Gordon's Dump". Most traffic bound for the fighting at Pozières

Battle of Pozières

The Battle of Pozières was a two week struggle for the French village of Pozières and the ridge on which it stands, during the middle stages of the 1916 Battle of the Somme. Though British divisions were involved in most phases of the fighting, Pozières is primarily remembered as an Australian battle...

 and Mouquet Farm in late July and August passed along Sausage Valley.