At 0730h on July 1st 1916, "the big push” saw thousands of British soldiers leave their trenches for the last time. In preparation for the assault, 1.7 million artillery shells were fired in an attempt to weaken the German front line and allow the Allied Forces easy access to the territory beyond. However, a combination of faulty munitions and fortified trenches meant the planned "stroll” over No Man’s Land was shredded in a whirlwind of heavy machine gun fire and German ordnance. Within the first hour of the battle, roughly 30,000 British troops were killed or wounded. By 18th November, the total casualties from both sides reached 1.12 million.

The Battle of the Somme provided the setting for soldier poets to produce texts that give readers today an insight into the emotions of one of the bloodiest battles of in modern history. This document traces the locations in which eight poems were written, linking the contemporary landscape to voices from over a century ago.