"Now thanks to this guide, it will be possible to study possibly the most visited site (at least by those whose ancestors served in the British Expeditionary Force) on the Western Front with a solid understanding of how the enemy fought its battles in the area of Beaumont Hamel and to be moved also by their professionalism, courage, tenacity, and comradeship. Hard work has also identified a number of the casualties of the fighting here who are now buried in the German cemeteries. It is difficult not to feel the grief of their fortunate comrades who survived the war and came back in search of their graves only to find traces of so very few of them. These brave soldiers, every bit as committed as their British or French enemies, deserved a better memorial than that. Hopefully, this book will serve as something of a memorial for them and help us also to understand why the battles of that war were so bitterly fought"-- From the series editor's introduction.

Includes index.

Visiting Beaumont Hamel and the Somme battlefields -- Preliminary operations and the capture of the Beaumont Hamel area -- Development of the defences, mine warfare, patrolling and raiding, Winter 1914-1915 [to] June 1916 -- The Battle of Serre, June 1915 -- The bombardment and 1 July 1916 -- The fall of Beaumont Hamel and the Battle for Redan Ridge, November 1916 -- Walks and car tour.