In March 1916, the 10th Battalion sailed to France along with the rest of the 1st Division and deployed to the Somme. Arriving at Marseilles in early April, the battalion undertook training at Strazeele before moving by train to Godewaersvelde and then Sailly-sur-la-Lys. In mid-May, the battalion occupied billets in the Petillon Sector; on 19 May the billets were shelled resulting in losses amounting to three killed and seven wounded. On 6 June, the battalion entered the front line for the first time on the Western Front, occupying positions around Fleurbaix. The battalion's first significant action on the Western Front came in late July 1916 when it was involved in the Battle of Pozières, an effort to secure the village of Pozières and the high ground beyond it as part of the wider Battle of the Somme; the battalion's casualties during this battle were around 350. For his actions during this battle, Second Lieutenant Arthur Blackburn, an original member of the battalion who had served with it during the Gallipoli campaign, was awarded the Victoria Cross. A month later, the 10th took part in the fighting around Mouquet Farm, incurring over 100 more casualties. Later, the 10th Battalion fought around Ypres, in Belgium, in front of Hill 60, before being transferred back to the Somme trenches in the winter, during which time they occupied positions around Guedecourt, Cardonette and Bazentin.