July 2011 marks 40 years of continual print of Martin Middlebrook's book 'The First Day on the Somme'. When the Western Front Association conducted a survey of their members favourite books, 'The First Day on the Somme' was voted number one by a long way.
A new edition of the hardback has been published by Pen and Sword with Penguin continuing to publish the paperback edition.
What does the book contain?
At 7.30 am, on 1 July 1916, after an immense - but largely ineffectual bombardment - the British Army went over the top and attacked the German trenches. 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. With more than fifty times the daily losses at El Alamein and fifteen times the British casualties on D-Day, 1 July 1916 was and remains the blackest day in the history of the British Army.
But, more than that, as Lloyd George recognised, it was a watershed in the history of the First World War. The Army that attacked on that day was the volunteer Army that had answered Kitchener's call. It had gone into action confident of a decisive victory. But by sunset on the first day on the Somme, no one could any longer think of a war that might be won.
Martin Middlebrook's research has covered not just official and regimental histories and tours of the battlefields, but interviews with hundreds of survivors, both British and German. As to the action itself, he conveys not just the overall strategic view but the terrifying reality that it was for front-line soldiers.
You can read the original WFA review of the book: The First Day on the Somme.
Please note: if you buy the book from Pen and Sword using the links to them on this page you will also help the WFA as we receive a small commission from Pen and Sword booksales via the WFA website.
