In which 1916 battle did J.R.R. Tolkien serve before illness ended his active front-line service?

J.R.R. Tolkien served in the Battle of the Somme in 1916.

Tolkien went to France as a second lieutenant with the Lancashire Fusiliers and served during the Somme offensive, which began on 1 July 1916. The battle was one of the largest and bloodiest campaigns of the First World War, fought by British and French forces against Germany along the River Somme in northern France.

Tolkien later became ill with trench fever and was sent back to England. His illness prevented his return to front-line service. The deaths and experiences of his wartime contemporaries remained a significant part of his personal history and are frequently considered when discussing themes of fellowship and loss in his fiction.

The Somme should not be confused with Passchendaele, another major First World War battle in which Tolkien did not serve. Tolkien’s own active front-line experience was connected specifically with the 1916 Somme campaign.