Somme

The year 1916 was one of the great turning-points in British history: as the youthful hopes of a generation were crushed in a desperate struggle to survive, and traditional attitudes to authority were destroyed for ever. On paper, few battles have ever been so meticulously planned. This title tells this history.

Somme expresses the full range of meaning of the word 'grim'...I doubt if there are any better than this

A worthy addition to the literature of the Great War

Lyn Macdonald is one of the most highly regarded historians of the First World War. Her books tell the men's stories in their own words and cast a unique light on the experiences of the ordinary 'Tommy'. The Roses of No Man's Land , Somme and They Called it Passchendaele have been recently reissued by Penguin. She lives near Cambridge.