Battle of the Somme
 

310,486 killed and a million casualties. Puts things in perspective.

Most were just young untrained troops fighting to defend their country in unimaginable conditions.

A million tragedies and so my heartfelt thanks to every single one of them.

http://www.itv.com/news/channel/2016...-of-the-somme/

David

From my local paper

...Major Charles Emerson described the scene to the Grimsby Telegraph in 1956.

"Our boys came out of the trenches with a burst that looked as if it would not stop.
In those days they advanced in straight lines, with one line immediately behind the first. The plan was to run ten yards and then to drop down. I thought at first it was wonderful, the way they were dropping - perfect co-ordination. But then I noticed that they were not getting up. They were being dropped by bullets....."

Half-an-hour after leaving the trenches the Chums had ceased to exist as a fighting force....

Lest We Forget

it was and still is a very sad day. I would say thank you for my freedom and way of live that you gave me and a hell of a lot of people around the world on this day.. we will remember them

If you watch the last episode of Black adder the 4th it finish on a serious note of how stupid just running over the wall was. Combat over the centuries has always been about a charge until the last few decades where strategy seems to save thousands of lives. Who would of thought 100 years ago a sniper could of saved thousands of lives!

Well said, David.

Agree,

Combat over the years has been brutal, go further back when the same number or more ran at each other with nothing more than a club/spear/sword, life really had little meaning or tangible worth.

Now we watch on TV as a button is pressed and unsuspecting victims (some deservant) are vaporised, guess that is progression of sorts, or is it.

Maybe we should of had the referendum vote next week

The war to end ALL wars, followed, less than a generation by another one

If you haven't see it, the docu-drama on More4, "The Somme" is very powerful and well worth a watch.

So many tragedies, so much heroism, so much stupidity.

If you want to see crass stupidity, read up on "High Wood".