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Sidney Rogerson has put down, plainly and simply, the experiences of his battalion. There is no attempt to compass drama by any device of selection or exaggeration --The Observer
A more genuine and unbiased account of trench warfare would be hard to find --The Sunday Times
Memoirs of a British subaltern first published in 1933; vivid descriptions without embellishment of life on the front lines written by a survivor of the 1916 Somme offensive. Unabashedly intended as an antidote to the usual downbeat 1930's war memoir. --Western Front Association
A more genuine and unbiased account of trench warfare would be hard to find --The Sunday Times
Memoirs of a British subaltern first published in 1933; vivid descriptions without embellishment of life on the front lines written by a survivor of the 1916 Somme offensive. Unabashedly intended as an antidote to the usual downbeat 1930's war memoir. --Western Front Association
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A joint operation between Britain and France in 1916, the Battle of the Somme was an attempt to gain territory and dent Germany s military strength. By the end of the action, very little ground had been won: the Allied Forces had made just 12km. For this slight gain, a more than a million lives were lost. There were more than 400,000 British, 200,000 French, and 500,000 German casualities during the fighting. Twelve Days on the Somme is a memoir of the last spell of front-line duty performed by the 2nd Battalion of the West Yorkshire Regiment. Written by Sidney Rogerson, a young officer in B Company, it gives an extraordinarily frank and often moving account of what it was really like to fight through one of most notorious battles of the First World War. Its special message, however, is that, contrary to received assumptions, men could face up to the terrible ordeal such a battle presented with resilience, good humour and without loss of morale. This is a classic work whose reprinting is long overdue.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
It was, I suppose, inevitable that the 90th anniversary of the opening of the Somme offensive of 1916 would encourage a considerable volume of new and reprinted work about the campaign. My guess is that, as usual, much of it will equally inevitably focus on the horror of the first day of the infantry attack, 1 July. The latter phases of drudgery, tedium and constant danger in the muddy wilderness of Lesboeufs or Le Transloy will barely receive a mention, yet it is the mud and grinding to and fro of attack and counter attack in these months that defines the Somme much more than the bloody mess of 1 July in the sunshine. Here is a book that puts the totality of the Somme into a more realistic context, despite it being only a snapshot of a typical twelve day stint for a weary infantry battalion, and it is therefore welcome.
It is not only the subject matter that appeals to me: the narrative is honest, gripping, emotional. Sidney Rogerson was a subaltern with the 2nd Battalion of the West Yorkshire Regiment, a regular army unit that still possessed a few old soldiers - with their use of Hindi and Indian Army vernacular - despite having seen much action and loss by late 1916. We may be thankful for his clear memory, ability to recall and record, and his humanity. He takes us through the move from rest camp into a wasteland front where there is no discernable front line and to get there meant passing through a deep shell-swept zone with no landmarks; the tense days of front line duty and patrol without anything really unusual happening except the inexplicable disappearance of a brother officer; the agony of footslogging for miles to a flooded tented camp; the resentment at having to provide working parties within hours of coming out ; and eventually out to rest once more. There are no heroes here, no VCs; no "lions led by donkeys"; no glittering brass hats: the tale of ordinariness in these squalid, bitter conditions tells it own story of heroism. "Twelve days on the Somme" is deservedly a classic memoir, originally published in 1933.
The Greenhill version of the book includes a thorough introduction by author and historian, Malcolm Brown. This is itself a most interesting essay and a worthwhile scene-setter for Rogerson's powerful work.
It is not only the subject matter that appeals to me: the narrative is honest, gripping, emotional. Sidney Rogerson was a subaltern with the 2nd Battalion of the West Yorkshire Regiment, a regular army unit that still possessed a few old soldiers - with their use of Hindi and Indian Army vernacular - despite having seen much action and loss by late 1916. We may be thankful for his clear memory, ability to recall and record, and his humanity. He takes us through the move from rest camp into a wasteland front where there is no discernable front line and to get there meant passing through a deep shell-swept zone with no landmarks; the tense days of front line duty and patrol without anything really unusual happening except the inexplicable disappearance of a brother officer; the agony of footslogging for miles to a flooded tented camp; the resentment at having to provide working parties within hours of coming out ; and eventually out to rest once more. There are no heroes here, no VCs; no "lions led by donkeys"; no glittering brass hats: the tale of ordinariness in these squalid, bitter conditions tells it own story of heroism. "Twelve days on the Somme" is deservedly a classic memoir, originally published in 1933.
The Greenhill version of the book includes a thorough introduction by author and historian, Malcolm Brown. This is itself a most interesting essay and a worthwhile scene-setter for Rogerson's powerful work.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is a wonderfully understated book which gives a quite different view of life in the trenches to the `Forgotten Voices' series and similar books of that genre that have been published in the past few years. Here Sidney Rogerson, an officer in 2/West Yorks, a regular battalion, gives what seems a very matter of fact account of the everyday reality of trench life. Not the dramatic litany of death and destruction, but the insight into how officers and men coped with the cold, boredom and routine of trench existence and life behind the lines. This is therefore a reliable and accurate account of the front line lifestyle, given that for most soldiers, sight of the enemy, let alone aiming rifle shots at him, was rare. A good read, and a book written by a man whose interest, care and regard for his brother officers and men under his command shines through.
Mike McCarthy
Editor, "The Battle Guide"
Guild of Battlefield Guides
Mike McCarthy
Editor, "The Battle Guide"
Guild of Battlefield Guides
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Sidney's book should be better known. I first heard about it through an excerpt published in a magazine a while ago, but have only just got round to buying and reading it. Previously I had little interest in history, and almost no knowledge of the First World War. This book has corrected both of those faults. It is an easy read, although it does not skimp in bringing home the realities of day to day life in the trenches. For those of us born post 60's, he provides a vital insight into humanity, as well as a reflection on the inhumanity of our current day to day working lives. Highly recommened reading that may change your perspective on life.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Interesting
Interesting but more drawings would have been great , to understand better how the trenches were laid out, more detailed maps would also have been great to understand the exact... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Alexandre Paternotte
12 days on the somme-
Good read and inforative on what realy happened in warld war one.just how brave were our men all captured in this small book. Read more
Published 9 months ago by olwen
A gentlemen's account of trench life in WW1
I read Birdsong by Sebastien Faulkes last year and put it in my top ten of favourite books. I thought it fitting to read Twelve Days On The Somme by Sidney Rogerson which is his... Read more
Published 13 months ago by camelcleaner
A Pleasurable Experience
For a book about the horrors of war this book succeeded in making me laugh out loud in parts. It also made me sad at times and grateful for what I have and for the times I live in. Read more
Published on 3 Jan 2009 by A. Brown
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