At 07.30 hours on 1 July 1916, the devastating cacophony of the Allied artillery fell silent along the front on the Somme. The ear-splitting explosions were replaced by the shrill sound of hundreds of whistles being blown.
At that moment, tens of thousands of British soldiers climbed out from the trenches on their part of the Western Front. They began to make their way steadily towards the German lines opposite. It was the first day of the Battle of the Somme.
By the end of the day, a number of the battalions involved had met with some degree of success; others had suffered heavy losses for no gain, whilst a few quite literally ceased to exist.
This is a stunning book. The authors have written the definitive account of the events on the fateful day.