Overview

The Battle of the Somme is one of the most famous, and earliest, films of war ever made. The film records the most disastrous day in history of the British army – 1 July 1916 – and it had a huge impact when it was shown in Britain during the war. Since then images from it have been repeated so often in books and documentaries that it has profoundly influenced our view of the battle and of the Great War itself. Yet this book is the first in-depth study of this historic film, and it is first to relate it to the surviving battleground of the Somme. The authors explore the film and its history in fascinating detail. They investigate how much it was faked and consider how much credit for it should go to Geoffrey Malins and how much to John Mac Dowell. And they use modern photographs of the locations to give us a telling insight into the landscape of the battle and into the way in which this pioneering film was created. Their analyses of scenes in the film tells us so much about the way the British army operated in June and July 1916 – how the troops were dressed and equipped, how they were armed and how their weapons were used. In some cases it is even possible to discover what they were saying. This painstakingly exercise in historical reconstruction will be compelling reading for everyone who is interested in the Great War and the Battle of the Somme. AUTHOR: Alistair Fraser is a founder member of the international archaeology group ‘No Mans Land'. He has provided much of the pre-and post-excavation research for the group's projects. He has worked as researcher and participant in a number of Great War documentaries and is engaged on an in-depth study of the Beaumont Hamel sector of the Western Front. Andrew Robertshaw is Director of the Royal Logistic Corps Museum at Deepcut near Aldershot. He frequently appears on television as a commentator on battlefield archaeology and the soldier in history. For the past twelve years he has been coordinating a group called ‘No Man's Land' conducting an archaeological dig of trenches and other sites on the Western Front. SELLING POINTS: In-depth study of the most famous documentary film of the Great War. Unique insight into the British army on the disastrous first day of the Somme. Uses modern photographs of the battlefields to show how this pioneering film was made. Identifies soldiers in the film and tells their stories. Extraordinary record of early documentary film-making. 200 illustrations

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9781844158362

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Reviews

"""...the first in depth study of the film and the battlefield by leading experts in their fields...""-- ""The Great War Magazine"""

...the first in depth study of the film and the battlefield by leading experts in their fields... --The Great War Magazine

"""...the first in depth study of the film and the battlefield by leading experts in their fields...""--The Great War Magazine"

Author Information

Alastair Fraser is a founder member of the archaeology group No Man's Land. He has worked as researcher and participant in a number of Great War documentaries. Steve Roberts is a retired police officer and an ex-regular soldier. He specialises in researching individuals who served during the war and is also a founder member of No Man's Land. Andrew Robertshaw frequently appears on television as a commentator on battlefield archaeology and the soldier in history, and he has coordinated the work of No Man's Land. His publications include Somme 1 July 1916: Tragedy and Triumph, Digging the Trenches (with David Kenyon) and The Platoon. Andrew Robertshaw is an author and a historian.

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