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Websites: The Battle of the Somme
Posted: 12 December 2007
By: Rick Roberts, Biography & Archived Articles
 Steel helmet worn by Private William Short
of the 8th Battalion, The Yorkshire Reg-
iment, when he was mortally wounded in
Munster Alley trench on 6 August 1916. |
The Battle of the Somme began on 1 July 1916. It lasted for five months and was one of the most bitterly contested and costly battles of the First World War. When the Battle of the Somme ended in November 1916, over one million people were dead as a result of the intense fighting that had dominated the long battle front along the River Somme.
Through the use of diaries, letters,
maps, and photographs, this compelling online exhibit from the Imperial War
Museum examines that long and difficult World War I land battle. These
items are all contained within three sections: "The Battle", "Personal
Stories", and "The Somme Revisited".
- In "The Battle", visitors can learn
about the various aspects of this military endeavor and read essays on the
German and Commonwealth armies.
- Moving on, "Personal Stories" features the
recollections of 21 different persons involved in this conflict, including
the first-hand memories of Robert Graves, who would go on to author the
moving memoir, "Goodbye to All That".
- Finally, "The Somme Revisited" offers
up some insights into the modern interpretations of this epic battle and a
few short film clips of cameramen who were present along the Western Front.
 William Henry Roberts
was killed in the Dot Trench
on 19 September 1916. |
90 years on, the Battle of the Somme continues to be written about and studied. Visitors to the battlefields are growing in number, but some myths about the Battle still endure. The site dispels many popular myths surrounding the Battle of The Somme and provides easy access to history about this pivotal World War One engagement.
As I navigated through the website, it was impossible to not imagine the horrific conditions faced by all of those who fought in the Battle of the Somme including my grandfather's older brother, William Henry Roberts who was killed in the Dot Trench on 19 September 1916.
Everyone who has an interest in the history of The Great War in general, or in the Battle of the Somme in particular, will benefit from the materials included in this website: The Battle of the Somme
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