In 2005 and then again in 2007 we visited Sonneberg Germany. We came across this WW1 Memorial in the church where my Dad was christened.
On the memorial was the name of Max Hertha.
Recently I received a message from someone who had the program from the dedication ceremony, which included an entry for all those named. The entry for Max was:
Hertha, Max, Buchbinder, geb. am 21. 9. 1876 au Sonneberg, eu., verbeiratet. Seine Ehefrau Marie geb. Truthan, mohnbaft Sonneberg, Charolottentrase 10. 2 kinder. Befallen am 24. 7. 1916 als Mustetier beim Inf. Regt. 93, 11. kimo., an der Somme in Frantreich, infolge Artilleriegelchok.
Max was a book binder. He left his wife, Marie and two children. He was killed July 24th 1916 at Somme, France. If my translation is correct he was a rifleman, killed in an artillery barrage two months before his 40th birthday.
The Battle of the Somme lasted between July 1, 1916 and November 18, 1916 [1]. The battle lines are shown in the diagram below:
Based on the chronology of the battles, Max could have been involved in any of the following [1]:
- BATTLE OF BAZENTIN RIDGE
- BATTLE OF DELVILLE WOOD
- BATTLE OF POZIÈRES RIDGE
The picture below is from the Bundesarchiv of a Germany Soldier, circa 1916.
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