The other day was the 106th anniversary of the start of what is popularly known as The Battle of the Somme, although military historians and experts divide this four and a half month offensive into many distinct battles.

Here is a link to an excellent piece where film footage shot at the time is worked into the modern site. Click here to watch.

James (“Jim”) Patton BS BA MPA is a retired state official from Shawnee, Kansas and a frequent contributor to several WW1 e-publications, including "Roads to the Great War," "St. Mihiel Tripwire," "Over the Top" and "Medicine in the First World War." He has spent many hours walking the WW1 battlefields, and is also an authority on British regiments and a collector of their badges. An Army Engineer during the Vietnam War, he does work for the US World War 1 Centennial Commission and is affiliated with the WW1 Historical Association, the Western Front Association, the Salonika Campaign Society and the Gallipoli Association.