Join Amazon Prime and get unlimited Free One-Day Delivery. Already a member? Sign in.

 

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
   
More Buying Choices
42 used & new from £3.89

Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
Forgotten Voices of the Somme: The Most Devastating Battle of the Great War in the Words of Those Who Survived
 
See larger image
 

Forgotten Voices of the Somme: The Most Devastating Battle of the Great War in the Words of Those Who Survived (Hardcover)

by Joshua Levine (Author)
3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
RRP: £19.99
Price: £11.00 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
You Save: £8.99 (45%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available.

Want guaranteed delivery by Tuesday, July 14? Choose Express delivery at checkout. See Details
28 new from £6.10 14 used from £3.89
Other Editions: RRP: Our Price: Other Offers:
Paperback £7.99 £6.39

Frequently Bought Together

Forgotten Voices of the Somme: The Most Devastating Battle of the Great War in the Words of Those Who Survived + Kitchener's Last Volunteer: The Life of Henry Allingham, the Oldest Surviving Veteran of the Great War + The Last Fighting Tommy: The Life of Harry Patch, the Only Surviving Veteran of the Trenches
Price For All Three: £20.89

Show availability and shipping details


Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Kitchener's Last Volunteer: The Life of Henry Allingham, the Oldest Surviving Veteran of the Great War

Kitchener's Last Volunteer: The Life of Henry Allingham, the Oldest Surviving Veteran of the Great War

by Henry Allingham
4.8 out of 5 stars (11)  £5.59
The Last Fighting Tommy: The Life of Harry Patch, the Only Surviving Veteran of the Trenches

The Last Fighting Tommy: The Life of Harry Patch, the Only Surviving Veteran of the Trenches

by Harry Patch
4.6 out of 5 stars (35)  £4.30
The Soldier's War: The Great War Through Veterans' Eyes

The Soldier's War: The Great War Through Veterans' Eyes

by Richard Van Emden
5.0 out of 5 stars (6)  £5.39
Dambusters: A Landmark Oral History

Dambusters: A Landmark Oral History

by Max Arthur
4.8 out of 5 stars (5)  £5.59
Shots from the Front: The British Soldier 1914-18

Shots from the Front: The British Soldier 1914-18

by Richard Holmes
5.0 out of 5 stars (4)  £13.00
Explore similar items

Product details

  • Hardcover: 304 pages
  • Publisher: Ebury Press (2 Oct 2008)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0091926270
  • ISBN-13: 978-0091926274
  • Product Dimensions: 23.8 x 15.6 x 3.2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 38,683 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories:

    #6 in  Books > History > Cultural History > Oral History
    #30 in  Books > History > Other Historical Subjects > Historiography
    #36 in  Books > History > Europe > World War I 1914-1918

Customers Viewing This Page May Be Interested in These Sponsored Links

  (What is this?)
British Military Records
   www.findmypast.com    Army lists, roll calls & records births, marriage & deaths from 1656 
Battlefield guided tours
   www.terresdememoire.com    Daily tour of the Somme battlefield Australian & WW1 tours 
  
 

Product Description

Product Description
With over a million casualties, the Somme was the most brutal battle of the First World War. It is a clash that even now, over 90 years later, remains seared into the national consciousness, conjuring up images of muddy trenches and young lives tragically wasted. Its first day, July 1st 1916 - on which the British suffered 57,470 casualties, including 19,240 dead - is the bloodiest day in the history of the British armed forces to date. On the German side, an officer famously described it as 'the muddy grave of the German field army'. By the end of the battle, the British had learned many lessons in modern warfare while the Germans had suffered irreplaceable losses, ultimately laying the foundations for the Allies' final victory on the Western Front.Drawing on a wealth of material from the vast Imperial War Museum Sound Archive, "Forgotten Voices of the Somme" presents an intimate, poignant, sometimes even bleakly funny insight into life on the front line: from the day-to-day struggle of extraordinary circumstances to the white heat of battle and the constant threat of injury or death. Featuring contributions from soldiers of differing backgrounds, ranks and roles, many of them previously unpublished, this is the definitive oral history of this unique and terrible conflict.

About the Author
Joshua Levine is an experienced oral historian and author of Forgotten Voices of the Blitz and the Battle for Britain and On a Wing and a Prayer. He has also had plays performed on the London stage and on Radio 4, as well as scripting a television documentary about 18th century London for BBC2.

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
Check the boxes next to the tags you consider relevant or enter your own tags in the field below

Your tags: Add your first tag
 

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Forgotten Voices of the Somme: The Most Devastating Battle of the Great War in the Words of Those Who Survived
70% buy the item featured on this page:
Forgotten Voices of the Somme: The Most Devastating Battle of the Great War in the Words of Those Who Survived 3.0 out of 5 stars (2)
£11.00
The Last Fighting Tommy: The Life of Harry Patch, the Only Surviving Veteran of the Trenches
10% buy
The Last Fighting Tommy: The Life of Harry Patch, the Only Surviving Veteran of the Trenches 4.6 out of 5 stars (35)
£4.30
Forgotten Voices of the Great War: A New History of WWI in the Words of the Men and Women Who Were There (Forgotten Voices/the Great War)
8% buy
Forgotten Voices of the Great War: A New History of WWI in the Words of the Men and Women Who Were There (Forgotten Voices/the Great War) 4.5 out of 5 stars (22)
£4.83
Somme Mud
6% buy
Somme Mud 4.5 out of 5 stars (15)
£5.99

 

Customer Reviews

2 Reviews
5 star:
 (1)
4 star:    (0)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:
 (1)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.0 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Puts a very human face on one of the world's most devastating battles, 7 Nov 2008
By Big Mike (Bradford, West Yorkshire United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
I read and was very deeply moved by the first book in the "Forgotten Voices" series - "Forgotten Voices of the Great War". With a life-long interest in and appreciation for world history, especially that of the First World War, often also referred to as The Great War, this new book, "Forgotten Voices of the Somme" is a most welcome addition to a fine series. It, like the first book on The Great War, does not weigh us down with facts and figures, but tells the story through the recorded words of those people who actually were there and who survived to relive their experiences for us. Men and women, officers and enlisted men, civilians, all from both sides of the conflict share their varied views of a horrific war and battle with us. It is thankfully as close to actually being there in the muddy trenches, fighting the enemy, the weather, the rats and feeling the fear of dying at anytime as we will ever get. A must read and very highly recommended.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing. Not very well researched. , 23 Nov 2008
Having received this book as a present I read it with growing disappointment. It contains many mistakes, from using soldier's memoirs for the wrong stage of battle (Fred Francis, an oft-repeated source quoted in Somme books, is describing the 1 July attack, not the 16th July as Joshua Levine asserts). Other men's names are spelt incorrectly and there are instances of the author getting ranks wrong.
I felt that there was little contextualisation with the book. Basically, it is a compendium of quotes with little explanation of how the momentous battle was proceeding. As such, the quotes, whilst readable in themselves, have no context in which they are framed. The book is really just one quote after another. It is a pity that more was not made to explain to the reader the events in which each man's recollection is used.
I also found the use of standard IWM photos, all of which have been seen before in many of the other books written about the Battle of the Somme, a disappointment.
To conclude, I was unimpressed by this book and do feel that there are many much better alternatives. I also feel that such a lack of care demeans the memory of the men who fought on the Somme.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Only search this product's reviews



Customer Discussions

 Beta (What's this?)
This product's forum (0 discussions)
  Discussion Replies Latest Post
  No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
  [Cancel]

   


Listmania!


Look for similar items by category


Feedback


Fun for Everyone

Christmas Gifts
Achieve over 15,000 RPM with our great range of Powerballs.

Shop the Powerball store

 

Let Olay Amaze You

Olay Total Effects Day Moisturiser SPF15 50ml
Amazon.co.uk sells all your favourite ranges from Olay, including Regenerist and Total Effects.

Discover Olay at Amazon.co.uk

 

Boys Smell

Lynx Africa Body Spray and After Shave Gift set
But we make sure they smell good...

Discover male grooming at Amazon.co.uk

 

Treat Someone

Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificates--available in any amount from £5 to £500 With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is).

Learn more about Gift Certificates

 
Ad

Where's My Stuff?

Delivery and Returns

Need Help?

Your Recent History

  (What's this?)
You have no recently viewed items or searches.

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.

Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session.

Continue Shopping: Top Sellers
The Girl Who Played with Fire
Breaking Dawn (Twilight Saga)
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Host
The Host by Stephenie Meyer

amazon.co.uk Amazon Home
International Sites:  United States  |  Germany  |  France  |  Japan  |  Canada  |  China
Business Programs: Sell on Amazon  |  Fulfilment by Amazon  |  Join Associates  |  Join Advantage
Customer Service  |  Help  |  View Basket  |  Your Account
About Amazon.co.uk  |  Careers at Amazon
Conditions of Use & Sale |  Privacy Notice  © 1996-2009, Amazon.com, Inc. and its affiliates