The First Day on the Somme: 1 July 1916 (Penguin History)
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Product Description
Product Description
On 1 July, 1916, a continous line of British soldiers climbed out from the trenches of the Somme into No Man's Land and began to walk slowly towards dug-in German troops armed with machine-guns and defended by thick barbed wire. By the end of that day, as old tactics were met by the reality of modern warfare, there had been more than 60,000 British casualties - a third of them fatalities.
Martin Middlebrook's classic account of the blackest day in the history of the British army draws on official sources, local newspapers, autobiographies, novels and poems from the time. Most importantly, it also takes in the accounts of hundreds of survivors: normal men, many of them volunteers, who found themselves thrown into a scene of unparalleled tragedy and horror. Compelling and intensely moving, it describes the true events behind the sacrifice of a generation of young men - killed as much by the folly of their commanders as by the bullets of their enemies.
About the Author
Martin Middlebrook is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and the author of many important books on military history including THE KAISER'S BATTLE - MARCH 1918 , THE FALKLANDS WAR - 1982.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
20 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I have just finished reading this fantastic book for the 2nd time and feel i must put down in words how i feel about this book.
Mr Middlebrook has put together a book that will stay pride of place on my bookshelf, the first hand accounts that he has collected and placed within this book really take you to the Somme, and interweaved with the background and build up to the first day really bring the magnitude of this disaster to the reader, you can see for yourself that the rating this book recieves does it justice.
Mr Middlebrook has put together a book that will stay pride of place on my bookshelf, the first hand accounts that he has collected and placed within this book really take you to the Somme, and interweaved with the background and build up to the first day really bring the magnitude of this disaster to the reader, you can see for yourself that the rating this book recieves does it justice.
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Do not be mistaken by the title of this book: this is not merely an hour-by-hour account of 1 July 1916. No, crucially, in this book Middlebrook gives a comprehensive and most valuable background to Kitchener's Army: the origins of those unfortunate enough to be present, how they were structured, and what was hoped to have been achieved on this the most costly day in British military history. As is usual with Middlebrook, first-hand accounts are in profusion and lend the volume the presence and immediacy that is so characteristic of this author's accounts of armed conflict. Make this the first book you read about the BEF in WWI, particularly if one intends to visit the area. Thoroughly recommended.
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The battle of the Somme unfolds as if your were there. Few wartime accounts are so well researched and this is a "must read" to learn about a generation that gave their lives for this country.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Excellent book but...
This is a superb book and extremely moving but... do not just buy this book if you want to know about the British Army in WW1. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Chris Green
An Excellent Book
Thoroughly absorbing. Gives a broad coverage of what brought those particular British troops to the battle and why it was fought then and in that area. Read more
Published 9 months ago by MKM
The First Day of the Somme
A very good book about the failure of the British Imperial generals to adapt to WWI trench warfare and the enormous loss of life that this entailed.
Published 11 months ago by Baraniecki Mark Stuart
THe Best book on WW! ever!
I first read this book many many years ago and could not put it down. Since then, I have read it over and over again and still find it captivating. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Elaine
The Book
If you only ever read one book on the First World War, make sure its this one.
Reading this book set me on the path of becoming a writer/historian... Read more
Reading this book set me on the path of becoming a writer/historian... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Clio
Horrifically brilliant
I'm off to La Boisselle nr the Somme this summer and this is a valuable addition to the research I've been doing. Read more
Published 14 months ago by R. MCGINLEY
first day on the somme
This was the first and finest book on the Somme which includes the recollections of the men who were there. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Mr. R. Syson
Poor proofreading makes kindle edition a bad experience
I have read a lot about the Somme and visited the battlefield in 2010. This book was recommended to me as a way of deepening my understanding of what happened on the first day. Read more
Published 17 months ago by N. Turner
Kindle edition is a mess! 1 Star for to many errors.
I find spelling and punctuation errors very jarring, it's like sitting in a cinema next to someone rustling sweet wrappers or grazing through a dustbinful of popcorn. Read more
Published 21 months ago by eversfs
eye opener
i always wondered how and why these young men went to war. now I know. a superb book, the finest.
Published on 18 Feb 2010 by Mr. J. Goldstraw
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