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The Battle of the Somme

Stories told by the last Tommies, remembering WWI. The survivors of the Somme in 1916 and their families back home reveal the true horror and tragedy of the battle.

The Battle of the Somme is an immersive account of one of the most iconic and tragic battles in history, told through its last survivors and through families and communities at home who lost loved ones. When the troops went over the top in June 1916, they imagined this was the attack that would end the war. Instead, it turned into the most costly battle of the entire war, with enormous casualties on both sides.

We tell the stories of the officers and the men, the Tommies who sustained life-changing injuries and the nurses who treated them. We see how whole communities were devastated as the Pals Battalions, each one recruited from a particular town or city, were mown down. With the help of the tank, the Battle of the Somme ended in November 1916. The British and empire casualties totalled 400,000 men. They had advanced just six miles, but they had dealt a devastating blow to the German army.

59 minutes

Clip

Music Played

  • John McCormack

    Come Into The Garden, Maud

  • John McCormack

    Keep The Home Fires Burning

Credits

Role Contributor
Executive Producer Steve Humphries
Editor Nick Maddocks
Production Company Testimony Films

Broadcasts