Middlebrook Guide to the Somme Battlefields: A Comprehensive Coverage from Crecy to the World Wars

by Martin Middlebrook

While best known as being the scene of the most terrible carnage in the WW1 the French department of the Somme has seen many other battles from Roman times to 1944. William the Conqueror launched his invasion from there; the French and English fought at Crecy in 1346; Henry V’s army marched through on their way to Agincourt in 1415; the Prussians came in 1870.

The Great War saw three great battles and approximately half of the 400,000 who died on the Somme were British – a terrible harvest, marked by 242 British cemeteries and over 50,000 lie in unmarked graves.

These statistics explain in part why the area is visited year-on-year by ever increasing numbers of British and Commonwealth citizens. This evocative book written by the authors of the iconic First Day on the Somme is a thorough guide to the cemeteries, memorials and battlefields of the area, with the emphasis on the fighting of 1916 and 1918, with fascinating descriptions and anecdotes.

Genres: Military History, War, History, World War I

400 pages, Hardcover

First published June 30, 1994

About the author

Martin Middlebrook was a British military historian and Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. Appointed Knight of the Order of the Belgian Crown in 2004.

Reviews

[Martin Rush · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good & informative read Explaining the battles around the Somme. The book also goes to great lengths to explain each cemetery & some of the fallen that rest in them.

[Paul W · Rating 4 out of 5]

A visitor to the Somme cannot but be moved by the number of cemeteries and the number of graves - the sheer scale of the human cost of the battles fought here in WW1. This guide provides an overview of the 1916 and 1918 battles (with passing comments on other battles in 1346, 1870 and 1940). It is particularly noteworthy for its comprehensive detail on Commonwealth military cemeteries, with personal insights on those buried in many of them.
For those with an interest in military history, this book will enrich any journey through the Somme.

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly detailed account of Somme Dead and their Cemeteries

With over 400,000 dead and over 50% missing/unidentified this highly detailed work ensures they will not be forgotten. Staggering to read and comprehend the scale of lost life.

[Kruip · Rating 5 out of 5]

Een uitermate interessant naslagwerk, zeer getailleerd. Voor iedereen die wel eens in deze contreien geweest is krijgt iedere steen, iedere boom, elke straathoek, heuvel, of nog zichtbaar te vinden overblijfsel van een bomkrater, een naam. Een naam van mensen die aldaar geploeterd hebben in de modder, het bloed, de drek, terwijl ze zich ondertussen schoten en beschoten werden. Weinig boeken over de grote oorlog geven zo goed weer hoe nutteloos de bedachte strategieën in feite waren. Slechts enkele meters winnen, onderwijl ettelijke tienduizenden slachtoffers op het slagveld achterlatend. De meest navrante bloedstollende overwinningen, die soms dezelfde dag alweer prijs gegeven worden vanwege volslagen onbegrijpelijke orders. Wat Middlebrook echt goed doet is deze mannen een gezicht geven.

[Shaun Major · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful travel guide written by an historian with a meticulous approach to detail.