World War One: The Battle of the Somme

Available for over a year

In July 1916, Britain led an Allied offensive against German positions on the Western Front near the Somme river in France. The British army suffered 60,000 casualties on the first day. By the end of the battle in November, one million men had been killed or wounded. The Somme became synonymous with the horrors of war. Hear BBC archive recordings of veterans who fought in one of the bloodiest battles in history. Photo: British troops advance during the Battle of the Somme, September 1916 (PA)