From Disaster to Victory: The British Army from 1916-1918

The 'received view' of the Somme tends to focus on the horrors of the first day, 1 July 1916 – the worst disaster in the history of the British army. But as the offensive developed, it became a proving ground for new weapons, tactics and soldiers, as well as an inspiration for the army to reform and innovate further. It was on the Somme that the British army learned how to deliver the victory it achieved in 1918.