The Somme: The Epic Battle in the Soldiers' own Words and Photographs

by Richard Van Emden

Overview

The offensive on the Somme took place between July and November 1916 and is perhaps the most iconic battle of the Great War. It was there that Kitchener’s famous ‘Pals’ Battalions were first sent into action en masse and it was a battlefield where many of the dreams and aspirations of a nation, hopeful of victory, were agonizingly dashed.

Because of its legendary status, the Somme has been the subject of many books, and many more will come out next year. However, nothing has ever been published on the Battle in which the soldiers’ own photographs have been used to illustrate both the campaign’s extraordinary comradeship and its carnage.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781473885172
Publisher:	Pen and Sword
Publication date:	08/19/2016
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	368
Product dimensions:	6.80(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Richard van Emden interviewed 270 veterans of the Great War, has written extensively about the soldiers' lives, and has worked on many television documentaries, always concentrating on the human aspects of war, its challenge and its cost to the millions of men involved. Richard van Emden’s books have sold over 660,000 copies and have appeared in The Times’ bestseller chart on a number of occasions.

He has also worked on more than a dozen television programmes on the Great War, including the award-winning Roses of No Man’s Land, Britain’s Boy Soldiers, A Poem for Harry, War Horse: the Real Story, Teenage Tommies with Fergal Keane and most recently, Hidden Histories: WW1’s Forgotten Photographs. He lives in London.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

Chapter 1 Live and Let Live 10

Chapter 2 Bedding-In 50

Chapter 3 Awed and Shocked 110

Chapter 4 Batter and Hold 150

Chapter 5 Toil and Strife 200

Chapter 6 Nut Cracking 244

Chapter 7 Mud and Guts 278

Chapter 8 Fighting Cold 320

Acknowledgements 344

Sources and Permissions 346

Index 350

Editorial Reviews

"Richard Van Emden has delivered another excellent book on World War I that magically portrays this segment in time. The rare photographs are aligned with the timeline and add to the text greatly."

IPMS/USA

Richard Van Emden has delivered another excellent book on World War I that magically portrays this segment in time. The rare photographs are aligned with the timeline and add to the text greatly.

IPMS

This is a wonderful book, filled with new or rarely-before-seen sepia-tinted photos, many from the soldiers’ own private collections.

Summer 2018 World War One Illustrated

"Soldiers in the British Army risked severe discipline for taking photographs on the battlefield. This illustrated book for researchers, history buffs, and students offers a detailed impression of the fight for the River Somme in WWI, which was one of the most brutal fronts of the war, through the lenses of ordinary British soldiers with their own contraband cameras. The sepia photos (170 total) are accompanied by excerpts from soldiers’ diaries, letters, and memoirs. The first-person recollections are separated by brief introductions and woven into an accessible chronological narrative. The book’s introduction contains historical background on the war, plus information on the men’s cameras and uses of the photos, which were often sold to journalists or sent to families of the dead and wounded. Through the photos and first-person accounts, the book chronicles events over a period of 20 months, from the year before the offensive began, through the four-month battle, and the four months after the battle. Author Richard van Emden has written 17 books on WWI history"

ProtoView

"As featured in ''Conspiracy' to lure underage boys to war.'"

The Sunday Times

Soldiers in the British Army risked severe discipline for taking photographs on the battlefield. This illustrated book for researchers, history buffs, and students offers a detailed impression of the fight for the River Somme in WWI,
which was one of the most brutal fronts of the war, through the lenses of ordinary British soldiers with their own contraband cameras. The sepia photos (170 total) are accompanied by excerpts from soldiers’ diaries, letters, and memoirs. The first-person recollections are separated by brief introductions and woven into an accessible chronological narrative. The book’s introduction contains historical background on the war, plus information on the men’s cameras and uses of the photos, which were often sold to journalists or sent to families of the dead and wounded. Through the photos and first-person accounts, the book chronicles events over a period of 20 months, from the year before the offensive began, through the four-month battle, and the four months after the battle. Author Richard van Emden has written 17 books on WWI
history

Protoview

As featured in ''Conspiracy' to lure underage boys to war.'

3/27/16 The Sunday Times