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The Somme: The Epic Battle in the Soldiers' own Words and Photographs
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."
368 pages, Paperback
Published August 5, 2016
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163 people want to read
About the author
Richard van Emden
41 books33 followersRichard van Emden is a British author and television documentary producer who specializes in the First World War.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
April 27, 2016
The Somme -The Epic Battle in the Soldier’s own Words and Photographs.
The bestselling author and expert on World War One has gathered together researched and edited one of the most moving and comprehensive books available for the centenary of the Battle of The Somme. Like those that have researched and studied history over many years, the only time you are really touched is when you read the words of those who were there and those that perished. This book is packed with these feelings and it is brilliant.
In his introduction he quotes the historian AJP Taylor, whose views are today often ignored, ‘Idealism perished on the Somme,’ just about sums up the feeling of the soldiers. Whether we like the sentiment or not, Taylor’s point is just as valid today as when he wrote it, and this book justifies that sentiment. In a picture of 5 officers of the 9th Rifle Brigade 2 were to be wounded and the remaining 3 were killed in action, look exhausted, these men had to lead other exhausted men in to battle.
Across eight chapters the reader is taken on a journey that deals with the harsh reality of battle, and when you are bogged down in mud how cold life, if you were surviving was. None of the chapters glorify in any way the Somme, but the harsh life the men face drips from every page, with their own words and pictures.
With the words of tunnellers who had to carry 50lbs of explosives for the mines which they would blow up to aid the advance of the soldiers on the first day of the battle. Captain Stanley Bullock describes what it is like to be down there, that the job was the least desirable in the army and with the amount of explosives they were using they could blow the Germans back to Berlin.
When you read some of the officers asking for reinforcements that were desperately needed and not getting a reply from headquarters, to the description of Thiepval Wood disappearing under the hail of shrapnel. Watching his men reach the limit of human endurance, or that they received messages from men less than an hour later were dead.
When using the words of the men that were there to describe the toil and strife, it is the pictures that really hammer home the points. When you see the mud, the endless mud or the stumps where trees once stood. One letter sums up the Somme, ‘Darling Moth’, I am so thankful to be alive …’ before listing those friends who are dead.
If you want to be chilled to the bones by the description of The Somme, not by historians, but those that were there then this is the book for you. There has been a great deal of research undertaken, both in documents, letters and diaries but also pictorially and it all brings through the sense of idealism dying on the battlefield or more truthfully the battle mud.
This is an excellent book, well worth reading and keeping as a reminder why war is not always the answer, and that it is our young that are the ones who are expected to surrender their lives for the greater good.
The bestselling author and expert on World War One has gathered together researched and edited one of the most moving and comprehensive books available for the centenary of the Battle of The Somme. Like those that have researched and studied history over many years, the only time you are really touched is when you read the words of those who were there and those that perished. This book is packed with these feelings and it is brilliant.
In his introduction he quotes the historian AJP Taylor, whose views are today often ignored, ‘Idealism perished on the Somme,’ just about sums up the feeling of the soldiers. Whether we like the sentiment or not, Taylor’s point is just as valid today as when he wrote it, and this book justifies that sentiment. In a picture of 5 officers of the 9th Rifle Brigade 2 were to be wounded and the remaining 3 were killed in action, look exhausted, these men had to lead other exhausted men in to battle.
Across eight chapters the reader is taken on a journey that deals with the harsh reality of battle, and when you are bogged down in mud how cold life, if you were surviving was. None of the chapters glorify in any way the Somme, but the harsh life the men face drips from every page, with their own words and pictures.
With the words of tunnellers who had to carry 50lbs of explosives for the mines which they would blow up to aid the advance of the soldiers on the first day of the battle. Captain Stanley Bullock describes what it is like to be down there, that the job was the least desirable in the army and with the amount of explosives they were using they could blow the Germans back to Berlin.
When you read some of the officers asking for reinforcements that were desperately needed and not getting a reply from headquarters, to the description of Thiepval Wood disappearing under the hail of shrapnel. Watching his men reach the limit of human endurance, or that they received messages from men less than an hour later were dead.
When using the words of the men that were there to describe the toil and strife, it is the pictures that really hammer home the points. When you see the mud, the endless mud or the stumps where trees once stood. One letter sums up the Somme, ‘Darling Moth’, I am so thankful to be alive …’ before listing those friends who are dead.
If you want to be chilled to the bones by the description of The Somme, not by historians, but those that were there then this is the book for you. There has been a great deal of research undertaken, both in documents, letters and diaries but also pictorially and it all brings through the sense of idealism dying on the battlefield or more truthfully the battle mud.
This is an excellent book, well worth reading and keeping as a reminder why war is not always the answer, and that it is our young that are the ones who are expected to surrender their lives for the greater good.
April 6, 2019
Wow, what a powerful book. WWI historian Ricard van Emden lets the soldiers who fought on the Somme tell the story in their own words, through letters, diaries, and other documents written by the British (and one German) soldier who fought at the Somme.
Unlike other history books of the battle, this book doesn't just cover the July 1st-onward battle, but covers the period leading up to it. The gathering of men and supplies. The digging of trenches. The plans to make this what was supposed to be a huge victory for the British and French troops.
Along with fascinating first-person accounts, the books is illustrated with photographs taken by the troops (with illegal cameras, no less!) detailing their live-in the trenches. Unlike the official photos usually seen in such books, these are refreshing unposed, often out-of-focus, but nevertheless interesting glimpses into the horrible trench conditions, the shelled-out villages of the Somme area, and the utter devastation caused by endless bombing and machine gun fire.
van Emden doesn't add any unnecessary text, just a paragraph here and there to set context or introduce a new correspondent. He lets the stories unfold on the words of the men who lived and died at the Somme.
Unlike other history books of the battle, this book doesn't just cover the July 1st-onward battle, but covers the period leading up to it. The gathering of men and supplies. The digging of trenches. The plans to make this what was supposed to be a huge victory for the British and French troops.
Along with fascinating first-person accounts, the books is illustrated with photographs taken by the troops (with illegal cameras, no less!) detailing their live-in the trenches. Unlike the official photos usually seen in such books, these are refreshing unposed, often out-of-focus, but nevertheless interesting glimpses into the horrible trench conditions, the shelled-out villages of the Somme area, and the utter devastation caused by endless bombing and machine gun fire.
van Emden doesn't add any unnecessary text, just a paragraph here and there to set context or introduce a new correspondent. He lets the stories unfold on the words of the men who lived and died at the Somme.
September 12, 2025
This is a magnificent testimony to those who fought and in so many cases died in one of the most infamous battles of World War 1. It is not about tactics or strategy and the politicians and top brass are (thankfully) nowhere in evidence. The book is the personal accounts of those directly involved in the preparation and participation in the bloodbath and contains plenty of evidence of stoicism and bravery in the face of appalling conditions and daily expectation of death.
The author allows the words of the participants to fill the pages. He interjects background information without overstatement. The photos, as to be expected, are often grainy or out of focus but capture historic moments of day to day operations and survival. My only negative comment is that it has only a few pages giving the story from the German side.
This is a hugely interesting book. For similar accounts of personal memories and experience in war I recommend the "Voices" series published by the Imperial War Museum.
The author allows the words of the participants to fill the pages. He interjects background information without overstatement. The photos, as to be expected, are often grainy or out of focus but capture historic moments of day to day operations and survival. My only negative comment is that it has only a few pages giving the story from the German side.
This is a hugely interesting book. For similar accounts of personal memories and experience in war I recommend the "Voices" series published by the Imperial War Museum.
December 28, 2018
This collection of personal diary entries and letters home written by the men who fought in the battle of the Somme give an incredible insight into their horrific experiences. The entries are arranged in chronological order which gives the war novice like me a firm context for the order of events in this battle. We even get a look of the perspectives from the German lines in some of the photos and also a peek into a diary of a German soldier as the British advance upon his position. I couldn’t put it down and devoured it over a 24hr period. This is a book I will definitely return to read again at a later date.
December 1, 2024
This book is what got me back into history. It’s been almost 5 years since I read it! One of my favorites. Loved reading the soldiers’ stories. Plus many of the soldiers were in a documentary series, Last Voices of WWI.
July 5, 2025
You can’t best personal accounts from people who were actually there & this is another great account. My only disappointment is that there was nothing from 23 Brigade and in particular 2/Middlesex were heavily involved. Nonetheless a really interesting book.
August 31, 2024
The pictures and first hand accounts make this book a must read for anyone interested in WW1 literature! Well done Mr. Van Emden.
Read
August 23, 2016This book changed my thinking about the Somme and the entire WW1.
It was a battle of massive scale. It commenced with the huge 25 Ton "Lochnagar" Mine detonation under the German Lines at Beaumont-Hamel, together with 18 other explosions. The mine tunnels and preparation had taken 6 months to dig by men using bayonets silenced with rope. These were the loudest explosions ever heard to that date and were the largest non-nuclear explosions ever.
It comprises written extracts from the men who fought there. It is fascinatingly illustrated by the mens' own photographs. (Small box cameras were very popular and most of the men at the start of WW1 carried one. By the time of the Somme (Commenced 1 July 1916) cameras were forbidden. But many photos remain).
For Britain and the Empire (And France), the Somme was one of the major battles of WW1, and it was fought by the men who volunteered in 1914. Men of all ages - not just young men or teenagers.
It was one of the most bloody battles ever fought. The weapons used were well-made and accurate. Close-quarters fighting was more like the dark ages and men favoured trench knives over firearms.
Men were forced over the top and had to walk with rifle at the port, in massed ranks, into machine-gun fire from 600 yards away.
Whippers-in were NCOs who followed the men and if a man went down into cover, the Whipper-in would follow and threaten to shoot him. Ironically, many of these whippers were cut to pieces themselves.
On Day 1 of the Somme there were over 19,000 British Empire men killed
By the end in November 1916, almost 96,000 British Empire men had been killed plus 50,000 French.
The British Empire and Allies (France) eventually prevailed, and it was the beginning of the end for Germany who lost 147,000 Killed and 38,000 taken prisoner.
Total Casualties on both sides were approximately 1,100,000
The book contains soldiers' words that could have been written yesterday, and the photographs show modern-looking fighting men.
It was a battle of massive scale. It commenced with the huge 25 Ton "Lochnagar" Mine detonation under the German Lines at Beaumont-Hamel, together with 18 other explosions. The mine tunnels and preparation had taken 6 months to dig by men using bayonets silenced with rope. These were the loudest explosions ever heard to that date and were the largest non-nuclear explosions ever.
It comprises written extracts from the men who fought there. It is fascinatingly illustrated by the mens' own photographs. (Small box cameras were very popular and most of the men at the start of WW1 carried one. By the time of the Somme (Commenced 1 July 1916) cameras were forbidden. But many photos remain).
For Britain and the Empire (And France), the Somme was one of the major battles of WW1, and it was fought by the men who volunteered in 1914. Men of all ages - not just young men or teenagers.
It was one of the most bloody battles ever fought. The weapons used were well-made and accurate. Close-quarters fighting was more like the dark ages and men favoured trench knives over firearms.
Men were forced over the top and had to walk with rifle at the port, in massed ranks, into machine-gun fire from 600 yards away.
Whippers-in were NCOs who followed the men and if a man went down into cover, the Whipper-in would follow and threaten to shoot him. Ironically, many of these whippers were cut to pieces themselves.
On Day 1 of the Somme there were over 19,000 British Empire men killed
By the end in November 1916, almost 96,000 British Empire men had been killed plus 50,000 French.
The British Empire and Allies (France) eventually prevailed, and it was the beginning of the end for Germany who lost 147,000 Killed and 38,000 taken prisoner.
Total Casualties on both sides were approximately 1,100,000
The book contains soldiers' words that could have been written yesterday, and the photographs show modern-looking fighting men.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews