Listen to Twelve Days on the Somme

A joint operation between Britain and France, the 1916 Battle of the Somme was an attempt to gain territory and dent Germany's military strength. By the end of the action, the Allied Forces had made just twelve kilometres. For this slight gain, more than a million lives were lost. In this classic military memoir, Staff Sergeant Sidney Rogerson vividly captures the last spell of frontline duty performed by the 2nd Battalion of the West Yorkshire Regiment. Awarded the George Cross for his service, Rogerson gives a frank and moving account of this notorious battle while demonstrating how he and his fellow soldiers faced the ordeal with resilience and good humour.