The Somme cover

The Somme

by Duncan Youel

Authors: Duncan Youel, David Edgell, Edited by Andrew Heritage, Integral DVD Film by Duncan Youel, David Edgell and Keith Lillis, (5 stars on Amazon.com) Combining powerful recollections with dramatic archive pictures, modern terrain photography and fold-out panoramas, the book builds into a detailed narrative of the 1916 British campaign on the Somme. From the infamous First Day through to the bitter end at the Ancre almost five months later, the Pals Battalions' baptism of fire is documented through maps, diagrams and pictures from each location. The book is in two parts: Then and Now, and includes an hour-long DVD of interviews and stories from professional soldiers, historians, museum directors, battlefield tour guides and those who make their living on the Somme battlefields today

Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?