Ancestor's Footsteps: The Somme 1916

Description

This book answers one of biggest unanswered questions asked by visitors to the Somme; where did my ancestor fight? The combination of First World War battle accounts and annotated trench maps throughout this book, explains exactly what happened and where, and indexed orders of battle give the reader a quick reference to locate individual units. But the book goes further than this as carefully chosen viewpoints, which are practical for anyone exploring in a car, have been suggested. They give the visitor different perspectives of the ground where their ancestors fought and died; and in many cases are buried in an unmarked grave. There is useful information on the structure of the British Army and the weapons, equipment and uniforms the men used. Information on the different methods of attacks used, the development of tactics and life in the trenches is also included. As well as this, there is a guide to the key cemeteries, memorials and museums the visitor should consider seeing to complete a visit. This book will help the casual visitor walk in their ancestor's footsteps across the Somme battlefield. It will also guide the regular visitor across different areas of the battlefield, away from the popular points, and help all visitors accomplish the rewarding experience of connecting the battles of the past with the terrain of today. AUTHOR: Andrew Rawson is a freelance writer who has written over twenty-five military history books. He has written eight books for Pen & Sword's Battleground Europe series and three reference books for The History Press Handbook series. He has edited 'Eyes Only: The Top Secret Correspondence between Marshall and Eisenhower' and 'Organizing Victory: The War Conferences 1941 1945'. He has also written a campaign volume of the British Army's battles in 1914, 1915 and 1916. He has a master's degree with Birmingham University's history department. Andrew lives in Mallorca, Spain. SELLING POINTS: . Brief narratives to accompany the maps, so the pilgrim can connect the battle with the ground . Indexed orders of battle for quick reference . Practical stopping places to view the action from, placing the visitor at the scene of the action . Information on important cemeteries, memorials and museums to complete a visit Illustration 90 maps

Andrew Rawson is a freelance writer who has written over twenty-five military history books. He has written eight books for Pen & Sword's 'Battleground Europe' series and three reference books for The History Press 'Handbook' series. He has edited Eyes Only: The Top Secret Correspondence between Marshall and Eisenhower and Organizing Victory: The War Conferences 1941-1945. He has also written a campaign volume of the British Army's battles in 1914, 1915 and 1916. He has a master's degree with Birmingham University's history department. Andrew lives in Mallorca, Spain.

"This is a book I would take with me when going over there to see The Somme. In terms of finding where a relative fought while in the British Army either as a Canadian, Australian, or any of the other units the Brits brought to the fight this book is invaluable. Just reading through the units in the index is fascinating and reads like a Who's Who of British Army history. I enjoyed reading this book and it's whetted my appetite to further investigate this period of history!! I recommend it because it is well written and interesting."-- "IPMS/USA"