I started to research the battles of The Somme during the latter part of the 1960s having watched the superb BBC Series The Great War. Over the years, I have read considerable material and books, many of them rather good, others perhaps not reaching the standard as one would expect of a subject of this nature.
I managed to visit the area during the spring of 1984 and was impressed by what I saw. Indeed the panoramic photos in this book, on pages 138-138, of Mash Valley brought back quite a few memories. And one of the great things about this marvellous book, are the numerous panoramic photgraphs of "Then and Now" showing the reader of what the area was once like, a devastated landscape of horrific images, smashed villages, dead bodies etc, and what the landscape looks like today.
Peter Barton tells the story of a great battle fought during the summer and autumn of 1916, a battle which did not end the war then, but it may have contributed to the eventual defeat of the German Army in 1918 because of the terrible casualties all armies sustained during that conflict within a "War To End All Wars". Supplemented by numerous descriptions left behind by many of the survivors who tell their story of their experiences, and their struggle to survive amidst the horrors of the trenches. It is their fitting tribute to the memory of the many comrades and fellow soldiers who were lost.
There are many good photographs included in this volume, many of whom I have not seen before and I have no doubt that these photos will also leave an impression on many readers. A case in point is the panoramic image of the devastated Guillemont battlefield (pages 208-209) showing the awful landscape as it was, and the now peaceful scene dominated by Guillemont Road Cemetery as it looks today.
Although the material on the Somme is vast, I should recommend this book as THE Buy of the Year.