The Somme Quotes

“This is what is called dying for your country, but it is actually selling your soul to a few profiteers for a shilling, and being massacred to satisfy their selfish purposes. And they call it WAR--and a legitimate thing at that.

-Private Arthur Wrench, Headquarters, 154th Brigade, 51st Division”
― Peter Hart, The Somme

“For many men, the collection of souvenir and a little light looting of the German dugouts was a pleasant distraction that might well prove fatal if older, cooler heads had not called them to their duty in consolidating the captured trenches.
“Two or three of us went down in a fine German dugout. There were cigars, tined food, and German helmets. We all took a helmet, cigars and tobacco, coming out with these German helmets on. We ran straight into our captain. “Yes” he said, You all look very nice. But get some fucking digging done.” Private Albert Andrews, 19th Battalion, Manchester Regiment, 21 Brigade, 30 Division”
― Peter Hart, The Somme

“I watched as one captain sat near the Gerry dug out, eating his lunch with one hand and shooting them as they came out with the other. I thought that rather rude, as some had their hands up, but the captain said he'd had several of his men shot while on stretchers and didn't give a damn”
― Peter Hart, The Somme

“The casualties were beyond comprehension with 57,470 British casualties on the first day alone. Of these a staggering 19,240 were killed.”
― Peter Hart, The Somme

“THE BATTLE OF THE SOMME will always be controversial.”
― Peter Hart, The Somme

“The Somme Peter Hart PEGASUS BOOKS NEW YORK”
― Peter Hart, The Somme