The first day of the battle of the Somme was 100 years ago this Friday the 1st of July. Have a look at this very short film by the Imperial War Museum. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dcihh_Zaxl4...
The 'Somme' became a byword for futile and indiscriminate slaughter. There were over 1 million casualties - 420,000 British, 195,000 French and 650,000 Germans. The youngest soldier was 14 and the oldest was 67....
Artist Adrian Hill was commissioned by the Imperial War Museum to record the conflict on the Western Front during WWI. This painting of 'Ruins Between Bernafay Wood and Maricourt' (Art.IWM ART1663) is in the IWM collection and is one of...