David Cameron, Prince Charles, Prince William and Prince Harry attend a commemoration of the centenary of the Battle of the Somme at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Thiepval Memorial on Friday
The Battle of the Somme has been immortalised as the most disastrous day in British military history, when 57,000 British soldiers became casualties in a single day, 1st July 1916 - part of a doomed attempt to break the deadlock of trench warfare. But behind the myth and distortion lies the story of a meticulously planned battle, fought against a determined and experienced German enemy, and a fight that was seen at the time as both unavoidable and necessary. The Battle of the Somme, of which 1st July was just the first, disastrous day, raged for another four months, and was vital not only in diverting German forces away from their crucial assault on the French at Verdun, but in teaching Britain's 'citizen army' how to fight a modern war against the German army, arguably the best in the world.
