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The First Day on the Somme: 1 July 1916 (Penguin History)
 
 
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The First Day on the Somme: 1 July 1916 (Penguin History) (Paperback)

by Martin Middlebrook (Author)
5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
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Product details

  • Paperback: 384 pages
  • Publisher: Penguin; New Ed edition (29 Jun 2006)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0140171347
  • ISBN-13: 978-0140171341
  • Product Dimensions: 19.4 x 12.8 x 2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 38,947 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories:

    #15 in  Books > History > Europe > World War I 1914-1918
    #26 in  Books > History > Military History > Armed Forces > Land Forces
    #54 in  Books > History > World History > World War I 1914-1918

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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

13 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
5.0 out of 5 stars (13 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars They dont come any better!, 17 Jan 2005
By Mr. M. Fullard "mick71" (Up't North) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: The First Day on the Somme: 1st July, 1916 (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.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars To understand Kitchener's Army, this book is a must!, 20 Mar 1999
By A Customer
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.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A compelling and moving account of a dreadful day, 30 April 2001
By Michael Simpson (Wargrave, Berkshire United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
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

5.0 out of 5 stars An 'easy' read
I read this book with interest and felt it gave an excellent account of the build up and the Battle itself. Read more
Published 1 month ago by R. W. Green

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb and gripping account
I visited the Somme battlefields for the first time this year and used an excellent walking guide, "Walking the Somme" by Paul Reed. Read more
Published on 28 Sep 2007 by J. Page

5.0 out of 5 stars Classic Book About Totemic Battle
Middlebrook's 'First Day' is now quite an old book - but it is also a great book. It is excellently researched, particularly in terms of unit data, well written, engaging, and has... Read more
Published on 12 Sep 2007 by Stephen Bull

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic
Before Martin Middlebrook did his extensive research on the Battle of the Somme and published this book it was a forgotton about battle that people had little interest in and was... Read more
Published on 21 Aug 2007 by Wellington

5.0 out of 5 stars THE ORIGINS OF MODERN DISSILLUSIONMENT
Can anyone really understand this most classic of WWI battles, with its numbing calculus of bodies? The total inanity of it? Read more
Published on 7 Sep 2005 by R. J Szasz

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best History of 1st July 1916.
A superbly written tribute to the men who were there with just enough technical detail to paint the background without overwhelming the human story.
Published on 16 Jul 2005 by C. Johnson

5.0 out of 5 stars Deeply Moving and Authorative Account
Can anyone really understand this most classic of WWI battles, with its numbing calculus of bodies? The total inanity of it? Read more
Published on 14 Jan 2005 by R. J Szasz

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent conjures up the atmosphere well.
Researching two relatives who took part in WW1 , this caught my eye and glad I am. An excellent account bringing to life the difficulties the average soldier faced. Read more
Published on 16 Jun 2000 by deane3@cwcom.net

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
I first read this book in 1973 when I was just beginning my research into the Western Front 1914-1918. This is a must-read! Read more
Published on 27 April 2000

5.0 out of 5 stars Analysis of the day that led to 60,000 Bristish casualties
An excellent account, drawn from interviews with survivors and other primary sources, of participants on the first day of the battle of the Somme, 1 July 1916. Read more
Published on 14 Nov 1998

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