148 Days on the Somme

by Barry Cuttell

As the sun set on that hot, memorable but tragic first day of July 1916 leaving almost 60,000 casualties on the field of battle, the immediate urgent task was burying the dead and getting wounded to the rear. But Generals Haig and Rawlinson's duty lay in organising the next phase of the battle. The success of the dawn attack on 15th July augured well but ahead lay the enormous losses of Australian and British units at Pozieres, the gargantuan struggle to secure High Wood and Delville Wood, the bloody battles of Guillemont, Ginchy and Courcelette, the first use of the new war machine, the tank, along a wide front in September. And as autumn approached, the struggle in the mud and slime in the Meteorological Trenches, the capture of Thiepval and, in mid-November, the final struggle in the sleet, snow, mud and rain north of the Ancre...

Each year, over 200,000 pilgrims come to visit the battlefield, memorials and cemeteries in this now peaceful and beautiful region of Picardy. They include the casual visitor, those who wish to find the tomb of a fallen relative; some to research holders of the Victoria Cross and other medals. A study of hospitals, medical services, supply and logistics, army slang, poetry, songs, arms and ammunition, tunnelling, pioneers, regiments, battalions or a visit to the sites of particular actions motivates many visitors, the list seems endless... But every visitor has been sufficiently motivated to undertake the journey to the Somme.

This book is addressed to those who are interested in where the men fought, died or were wounded, sheltered, struggled forward to support or relieve their comrades or to carry supplies to the front. Many visitors are interested in a single battalion, brigade or division and this guide is concerned with the identification of all battalions engaged, followed by a summary of the infantry attacks which took place between the 2nd July and the end of November 1916. Reference has been made to all participating units wherever possible thus helping the reader to trace the steps of his ancestor who answered the call to fight for King and Country. A list of nearly 2,000 trenches and other sites is included which the reader can locate using modern I.G.N. maps. It is hoped that this summarised version will perhaps serve as an introduction to further reading and may also be of use to researchers in their work.

Specification

Binding: Softback, wire-bound

Pages: 248 pages, 252mm x 175mm

Photographs: 100+ mono pictures and maps

ISBN 1 870384 79 2

£19.95/$30.00