The Battle of the Somme 1916

This sequence opens with a title commenting on the supply operation to make the attack on the Somme possible. We then see a panning shot of a vast supply dump. This is followed by another title introducing ‘plum pudding’ mortar bombs and then a sequence showing these weapons in action. After this we see a long sequence of soldiers fixing bayonets and lining up to go over the top. 'The Battle of the Somme' was released in 1916. The government did not produce it, but they did approve it. The film was deeply controversial because the battle scenes were so shocking. Many observers felt it was too graphic. On the other hand, it appears that people appreciated the reality of the film-making. They preferred a film like 'The Battle of the Somme' because it didn’t try to pretend that war was easy or fun. People probably already had a good idea of what trench warfare was like from local newspapers and from talking to soldiers on leave. This is typical sequence from the Battle of the Somme. It is informative in that it shows how weapons worked and also the massive supply operation. It is also surprisingly realistic and grim, especially when compared to modern reporting of wars.

Channel: UK National Archives Video Length: 2m 31s Date Found: Fri, Apr 04 2008 3:13 PM Category: History Date Produced: View Count: 241