WALKING THE SOMME

Battleground Europe series - Walking The Somme

Pen & Sword Books Ltd 1997

ISBN 0 85052 567 5 - £10.95

The book, which is the result of more than 15 years of research, describes fifteen walks on the 1916 Somme battlefields from Gommecourt, through Serre, Beaumont-Hamel, to Mametz and Montauban. The walker is also taken to other important sites such as High Wood, Delville Wood and Flers. The book includes details of more than 50 Somme cemeteries and information about the men buried in them. Profusely illustrated with many photographs never before seen in print, including WW1 aerial photos and photos from unseen German sources. 

It serves as an ideal introduction to the haunting Somme battlefields and is the only walking guide in print to the Somme battlefields.

Extracts from Amazon Reviews:

"This is indeed an excellent walking guide. Tried it last weekend and had no trouble at all finding my way."     pwalstra from Nieuwegein Netherlands, July 12, 2004

" ...it is a well structured walking guide that provides information to the reader regarding particular areas that are of historic importance and gives some first hand accounts from the people who were there. The book contains accurate maps drawn by the author and also gives approximate times as to how long each walk takes which is extremely useful. There are also some excellent photographs of the places and individuals that are described in the text which, when standing on the actual ground, lends a whole new sense of reality to the events that took place there.

When I read this book now it transports me back to the places that I have visited and it will certainly accompany me when I visit this area again." josephpage from London, United Kingdom, August 6, 2003

"This is an excellent contribution to the Somme books as published by Pen and Sword. Covers some well-known areas, and other areas which have been badly neglected such as Gommecourt and Flers where tanks were used for the first time. What is good about this edition are the well mapped routes and suggestions for the first time visitor. Good photos too, particularly of the devastation the battle caused. Good all round account of what was perhaps the greatest battle of World War One." Eric A. Redfearn, from Teesside, May 16, 2000