Following on from the success of the two films on Ypres (Slaughter of the Innocents and The Immortal Salient) The Walking the Western Front series turns its attention to the infamous Battle of the Somme. In 1916, a series of cataclysmic events overtook the hitherto quiet pastoral landscape of the department of the Somme in northern France. It was to be the setting for one of the bloodiest campaigns in British military history; it began in the sweltering heat of July and ended four and a half months later, bogged down in a sea of mud. It's a story of almost unimaginable grief and loss as many thousands of manily volunteer soldiers of the "Pals" battalions were committed to a series of battles that would cost the lives of more than a million men from all sides. In this volume, the complete story of 'the bloodiest day in British military history' is told in unrelenting detail. From the diversionary attack on Gommecourt at the northern end of the 13 mile front, to the village of Montauban in the south, where the British achieved their greatest success of the day; this is The Battle of the Somme. This film also features interviews with two leading historians of the period - Teddy Colligan, custodian of the Ulster Tower, takes us to visit the recently reconstructed trench system in Thiepval Wood and tells the story of the terrible losses suffered by the 36th 'Ulster' Division. Author Phillip Robinson also tells the story of the great mines that were exploded to start the battle and their effect. -- From the container insert.

Wide screen.