Almost 20,000 british soldiers were killed and another 40,000 were wounded that first day, and there were more than one million casualties by the time the offensive halted. Then, suddenly, we were in the midst of a storm of machinegun bullets and i saw men beginning to twirl round and fall in all kinds of curious ways on 1 july 1916, a continous. The first day of the battle of the somme has a prominent place in british history and popular memory and has come to represent the loss and apparent futility of the first world war. By days end 19,240 british soldiers were dead, crumpled khaki bundles scattered across pasture studded with the scarlet of poppies and smouldering shell holes. Diary from world war i discovered in barn, recounts bloody. And if a child wants to read a book thats just out of reach, we have a. First day of the somme by andrew macdonald overdrive. Taking that terrible first day of battle as his focus, andrew macdonald casts new and damning light on the true causes of the disaster. The first day on the somme by martin middlebrook 2003. The first day on the somme isbn 01490719 is a first world war military history book by martin middlebrook, first published in 1971 and still in print. The fifth guidebook in the battle lines series focuses on one day, rather than a whole campaign or series of battles as the previous ones have done.
The first day on the somme book by martin middlebrook. It was the first day of the battle of the somme, and on that day the british suffered nearly 60,000 casualties, two for every yard of their front. Joe sacco presents an illustrated account of first day of the world war i conflict, the battle of the somme. The first day on the somme isbn 01490719 is a first world war military history book by martin middlebrook, first published in 1971 and still in print, which is regarded as a seminal work in the field of world war i scholarship reflecting englands perspective in the conflict. Though on vacation, i was deathly ill at the time, and locked myself up in my room with this book for a couple of days. Battles the battle of the somme, 1916 comprising the main allied attack on the western front during 1916, the battle of the somme is famous chiefly on account of the loss of 58,000 british troops one third of them killed on the first day of the battle, 1 july 1916, which to this day remains a oneday record. Its text covers in detail the events leading up to and during 1 july 1916, the first day of the battle of the somme. A fascinating article by martin middlebrook about writing the first day on the somme can be found here. The first day on the somme book by martin middlebrook 3.
If you only read one book on the battle of the somme, make it this on. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. The book does a wonderful job of laying out the background of the battle. Its text covers in detail the events leading up to and during 1 july 1916, the first day of the battle of the. The author has done exhaustive research which is both the strength and weakness of the book. First day of the somme is the complete account of britains bloodiest single day of the first world war both the british and german perspectives of the battle are brought together fully for the first time, with numerous eyewitness accounts from the bustling headquarters and bulletswept no. The 19 mines on the first day of the somme comprised a series of underground explosive charges, secretly planted by british tunnelling units beneath the german front lines on the western front during the first world war, ready to be detonated in the morning of saturday 1 july 1916, the first day of the battle of the somme 1 july 18 november 1916. The bloodiest day the first day of the battle of the somme, in northern france, was the bloodiest day in the history of the british army and one of the most infamous days of world war one. A book not just for the military historian but anyone who has a keen interest in knowing more about the condition and sacrifice on the first day of the somme in the 1st world war. The first day on the somme by martin middlebrook alibris. Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that delivers new books every 1, 2, or 3 months new customers receive 15% off your. The author recounts the battle, in which close to 20,000 british soldiers were killed. First day on the somme the bloodiest day belfast child. On 1 july, 1916, a continuous line of british soldiers climbed out from the trenches of the somme into no mans land and began to walk slowly towards dugin german troops armed with machineguns and.
The soldiers receive the best service a historian can provide. This is a very detailed account of the first day of the somme offensive in 1916. Speaking of the first day of school, the new library is almost ready. An absolutely great book although centered around the first day on the somme, the book is so much more. Penguin books limited, jun 29, 2006 history 384 pages. Buy the first day on the somme by martin middlebrook from waterstones today. The first day on the somme by martin middlebrook waterstones. I picked up this book at munroes in downtown victoria b. Martin middlebrooks the first day on the somme is a compelling and intensely moving account of the blackest day in the history of the british army. The first day on the somme by martin middlebrook goodreads.
The first day on the somme is one of those phrases which sends a trickle of horror down the spine. In the great war, a wordless, 24footlong panorama, joe sacco illustrates the first day of the battle of the somme. What happened on the first day of the battle of the somme. The battle of the somme in the summer of 1916 was one of the most hellish struggles in the long drawn out war of attrition which was world war i. This was the battle of the somme, a conflict that is etched into the collective memory of britain as a tragedy. It took place between 1 july and 18 november 1916 on both sides of the upper reaches of the river somme in france.
The first day on the somme, 1 july 1916, was the beginning of the battle of albert 1 july, the name given by the british to the first two weeks of the battle of the somme. Nz booksellers are currently unable to ship physical books but you can still get ebooks and audiobooks. It was the first day of the battle of the somme, and on that. They were soon hit by machine guns and explosive shells as they. I found this a fascinating book with many first hand observations of that first day, across the somme front. Launched on july 1, 1916, the battle of the somme has come to epitomize the madness of the first world war.
First battle of the somme, july 1november, 1916, costly and largely unsuccessful allied offensive on the western front during world war i. Middlebrook chronicles how kitcheners new army was raised and trained in 19141915, with high hopes for achieving a decisive success in 1916. He quotes again and again from various diaries and letters of soldiers at the the british started 1 july 1916 with a gigantic offensive at the somme against the germans in ww i. A separate effort, aimed at alleviating the pressure the french were experiencing at verdun, became known as the battle of the somme, july. The first day on the somme ebook by martin middlebrook. The first day on the somme, martin middlebrook, 1971, penguin books, isbn 01490719 the great war of 19141918 included many battles that have become legendary, perhaps none more so than that of verdun. In one day, the british army suffered over 57,000 casualties including 21,000 dead a 50% loss rate. Published in time for the hundredth anniversary commemoration of the battle of the somme in july 2016, this is a major contribution to world war i history and an epic story of courage, misery and endurance in. This book makes no attempt to put the unmitigated horror of the story into a larger historical framework of world war i. About the book an account from the viewpoint of the soldiers who fought on the first day of the battle of the somme, 1 july 1916, which resulted.
The diary entry for the first day of the battle of the somme on july 1, 1916. With this one book, his first, middlebrook prised open a new window onto great war studies in general, and in particular onto the 1916 battle of the somme. The first day on the somme, the focus of this book, saw the loss of nearly 60,000 british troops, the largest loss in a single day in all of british history. On veterans day, louisa thomas hails geoff dyers book on the first world war and how it was remembered that reveals as much about the author as the human condition. The first day of the somme 1 july 1916 british soldiers moved across no mans land, on the 1st of july at 7. The horrific bloodshed on the first day of the battle became a metaphor for futile and indiscriminate slaughter. The first day on the somme hardback pen and sword books. The first day on the somme isbn 01490719 is a first world war military history book by martin middlebrook, first published in 1971 and still in print, which is regarded as a seminal work in the field of wwi scholarship reflecting englands perspective in the conflict. Andrew macdonald a detailed description of the first day of the battle of the somme, on 1 july 1916, during the first world war, viewing the events from the point of view of both the allied and german. The battle of the somme 1 july 18 november 1916 was planned as a joint operation between british and french forces to break the deadlock on the western front. First day on the somme is a thorough and engrossing story of this critical wwi battle.
On 1 july 1916, the british forces suffered 57,470 casualties, including 19,240 fatalities. By the end of the day there were more than 60,000 british casualties. The battle was intended to hasten a victory for the allies and was the largest battle of. The eleven routes provided in the book cover the length of the british front line on 1 st july 1916, from gommecourt in the north to maricourt in the south. The first day on the somme revised edition by martin. The battle of the somme, also known as the somme offensive, was one of the largest battles of the first world war.