Gloucestershire and North Bristol Soldiers on the Somme

When war broke out in 1914 there was a widespread sense of optimism among the British public. Fired by patriotic fervour and pride in their nation, many were convinced that ‘it would all be over by Christmas' and young men rushed to join the army and share in the ‘honour and glory' of war. These illusions were swiftly lost as a war of attrition developed; advances on both sides were small and casualties high. Even with this background, the slaughter on 1 July 1916 of thousands of British soldier