''Somme'' () is a

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fig ...

military history Military history is the study of armed conflict in the history of humanity, and its impact on the societies, cultures and economies thereof, as well as the resulting changes to local and international relationships. Professional historians no ...

book by Lyn MacDonald, published in 1983 by Michael Joseph.

The battle

The

Battle of the Somme The Battle of the Somme (French: Bataille de la Somme), also known as the Somme offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and French Third Republic against the German Empire. It took place bet ...

started on Sunday, 1 July 1916 leading to the biggest losses by Britain in one single day (19,240 dead, 35,493 wounded, 2,152 missing and 85 prisoners for a total loss of 57,470). The battle ended on Tuesday, 21 November 1916. The main objective of this battle was to relieve the horrific battle at

Verdun Verdun (, , , ; official name before 1970 ''Verdun-sur-Meuse'') is a large city in the Meuse department in Grand Est, northeastern France. It is an arrondissement of the department. Verdun is the biggest city in Meuse, although the capital ...

Writer Lyn MacDonald

MacDonald has collected testimonies of soldiers involved in the battle of the Somme. In the beginning, their stories show chauvinism, nationalism and patriotism, but later, with soldiers seeing the stalemate, reflect the despair and horror of war. Everybody agrees that war is terrible. 1983 non-fiction books Works about the Battle of the Somme History books about World War I Michael Joseph books {{WWI-book-stub