Reddit reviews Forgotten Voices of the Somme: The Most Devastating Battle of the Great War in the Words of Those Who Survived

> I have to apologize to RenoXD for expanding on a small point so extravagantly, but it's one that interests me.

Don't apologise! Thanks for the detailed analysis.

> This is not a cheerful tone to set, and it was only made worse by the situation of the Pals' Battalions. Because of the way in which these battalions were constructed, a particularly bad day for one of them could result in the functional destruction of an entire town's worth of men.

I know this isn't really answering the above question, but I've done a lot of research into the Pals Battalions and their story is very sad. I couldn't resist writing a little bit here: This 'wiping out' of an entire community of men was especially prevalent on the Somme. On the far right of the line, 720 soldiers of the Accrington Pals (or 11th East Lancashire Regiment) went into battle. 584 were either killed, wounded or missing. Beside them, the Sheffield City Battalion (12th York and Lancashire Regiment) lost 513 officers and men. The 2nd Barnsley Pals (14th York and Lancashire Regiment) recorded a 30% casualty rate before zero hour had even been reached. Some of these men had never even seen the enemy, and yet for many their first experience of combat would be their last.

If you're interested in reading about the Accrington Pals, Sheffield City Battalion or 1st and 2nd Barnsley Pals but don't have the money for expensive books, this site is very respectful and there is so much information regarding the tragedy that day. If you do have the money, this book is very good, and if you're interested in some accounts from Pals Battalions on the Somme, this book is really interesting. I've actually visited the Somme and seen the memorials to the Accrington Pals and Sheffield City Battalion. If you haven't, there are some lovely pictures and some information here.