The Somme: Heroism and Horror in the First World War

This book is excellent giving the over all battle stratagy and the individual soldger point of view. The brutal nature of trench warfare is brought to stunning reality in this book as well as the cost of families. It is amazing just how full of life, passion and smarts these men who gave their lives for their country were. The number of those who were never identified is mind bogeling. It will bring a tear to your eye and let you know just how special those who fought on the Somme were. My own grand mother lost here boy friend on the Somme.

I got this item for my son-in-law for Christmas and it arrived fast and in excellent condition. He loved it! Thanks for the terrific transaction! Marty Williams

I have read a number of Martin Gilbert's works including this fine book and his great biography of Winston Churchill. I am visiting the Somme battlefield over the Labor Day weekend and found this to be excellent reading in preparation for that visit. I also highly recommend Lynn MacDonald's book on the same subject with lots of first person accounts of the battle. The Somme is the greatest tragedy in all of British military history.

Martin Gilbert does in this book something similar to what he does in his work on the Holocaust. He does not content himself with drawing the big picture, and speaking only of the generals, and the troop-movements and the political powers behind this which dictate the operations. He instead goes down to the level of the individual soldier, to the level of the squad, to the level at which most of those actually fighting the battle see and experience it. He tells the story of individuals who were everything to their own families but of no great significance in the calculations of the Generals. He too provides us with documents containing their own eye- witness reports. He provides samples of the poetry and personal reflections. He tells stories of heroism and bravery, and gives credit to those who truly bore the brunt of the battle. He depicts the horrors of the war, and the sufferings of the soldiers. This is a kind of history much different from that most of us grew up with while reading our textbooks. It seems somehow more humane and real.

Up until just a few years ago, books about the Great War, and there are many, seemed to be cast from the same mold. They all seemed to focus on the "big picture", detailing battle tactics, inept leadership, statistics and a few isolated acts of heroism. Recently however, there seems to be a new movement regarding the history of WWI in taking it down to a more base level of the countless soldiers left largely unidentified and all but forgotten. Sadly, writers can merely scratch the surface of the endless list of names who perished nearly a century ago, but it is a glorious thing that at least a small portion of those names are now being memorialized for posterity in such books as THE SOMME: HEROISM AND HORROR IN THE FIRST WORLD WAR, by Sir Martin Gilbert. Not only are the details leading up to the Somme detailed here, but Gilbert also lends splendid rendition to other rather obscure components of the battle, such as the use of carrier pigeons and their immeasurable benefit, the enormous resources that went into the upkeep of over 700,000 cavalry mounts that were never used, and much more. All the while, Gilbert expertly interjects prose written by the solders themselves to lend a more personal accounting than what is normally found in similar texts. Gilbert points out that the early 20th century saw a surge in literary talents compelled to document their experiences more so than in any other war at that time. Many of which are chronicled here, as well as numerous writings from obscure soldiers. Of course, the book also details information one would expect, such as the enormous death tolls and the incompetent leadership of General Haig and others. Gilbert also interweaves his work with photographs and maps. So many volumes of WWI accounts read like textbooks. It is refreshing to find a new aspect and presentation of the Great War being explored and developed. This is a depiction of trench warfare from a rather unexplored angle. I highly recommend this book. Monty Rainey www.juntosociety.com