It includes a day-by-day account of the British build-up on the Somme and the ensuing struggle, British and German orders of battle and a full history of the cemeteries and memorials, both 'lost' and current, that sprang up in the years following the First World War. The author also provides thumbnail biographies of all the senior officers to fall, the winners of the Victoria Cross and those who were 'shot at dawn', as well as Somme 'personalities' such as George Butterworth. This new edition honours the centenary of one of the bloodiest battles of the First World War.
Gerald Gliddon is a leading authority on World War I history. He has written extensively on this period, including: VCs of 1914, The Final Days 1918, and VCs Handbook: The Western Front 1914-1918. He has also recently written a study of Lutyens war memorials.
