The Battle of the Somme

July 1 2006 marked the 90th Anniversary of the first day of the Battle of the Somme, the bloodiest single day in the history of warfare. Never have so many soldiers been killed in one day s fighting: a staggering 25,000 dead, most in the first hour. The Battle of the Somme is a turning point in history. A modern battle of such prehistoric brutality that its horror is hard to comprehend. Brave patriotic men eagerly volunteered to fight for what they saw as a great and honourable cause, only to find themselves used as cannon fodder by their military and political leaders. Warfare changed forever on this bright summer s day, technology made possible a scale of killing hitherto unimaginable. Whole villages and communities marched to their deaths - the flower of a generation was wiped out in a single morning. Today memorials all over Europe bear testament to their sacrifice. The Somme follows a group of young men through that first day. The day when a whistle blow sent British and French soldiers over-the-top and towards an almost certain death. The film follows Private Cyril Jose who at only fifteen had lied on his conscription papers to join the swelling ranks of young men sent off to fight for their country. His diaries speak of a cheery if naïve young man caught up in the horrors of battle. American Heiress, Mary Borden had left Chicago at the start of the great War to work for the Red Cross, by 1916 she had selflessly set up her own field hospital behind the British lines on the Somme. Her diaries vividly set the scene and describe the carnage, The air was thick with steaming sweat, mud, dirt and blood. I am not hungry - I am not tired - I am busy. The planning of the battle was left to British General Rawlinson, his army - inexperienced, his plan -simple Take what the Germans have all along here and invite them to try and take it back. It was a plan that would send thousands of men marching straight into the German machine gun posts. This was a battle fought by civilians on unfamiliar territory. Even the Officer classes were only too aware of the impending slaughter, Captain Charlie May wrote to his wife before that fatal whistle know though all your life that I loved you and baby with all my heart and soul, that you two sweet things were just all the world to me. Through the friendships and the fear, the film is told through the diaries and letters of men in the field many of whom would never be reunited.

Actors: Tilda Swinton, Ed Stoppard, William Beck, Patrick Kennedy, Ewan Stewart

Audio Languages: English

Duration: 90 minutes

Number of Discs: 1

Subtitle Languages: English

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