Remembering: The Battle of the Somme, 110 years on

As we approach the 110th anniversary of the opening day of the Battle of the Somme, a further personal account of the opening day's fighting has been published.

I Was There!

As part of the long-term project to re-create personal accounts that were originally contained in the part work 'I Was There!' (published in 1939) we have created - so far - five videos pertaining to 1 July 1916. These can be seen both on the WFA's YouTube Channel, and on the WFA website via this link.

14 Days in No Man's Land

The most recent of these videos is entitled '14 Days in No Mans Land' in which Private Matthew of the London Regiment describes how he was seriously wounded on the opening day of the Somme battle. Left behind in a disused trench he survived fourteen days of exposure before he was finally rescued by a patrol of the London Scottish.

Read the original account

If anyone wishes to read the original account as published in 1939, it is possible to do so via the WFA's interactive 'Searchable Magazine Archive' where these original publications are available. Not only can members read the 'I Was There!' series, but there are numerous other historical magazines available to browse.