The Somme: The Bloodiest Day In British Military History | The Last Voices of World War One

Over 100 years later, The Battle of the Somme remains the bloodiest day in British military history. A futile attempt to break the stalemate of trench warfare, this disastrous offensive would end with very little change on the frontlines and over 600,000 British and French soldiers dead.
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[@StephenLuke]

RIP To the 95,675 British troops, 50,729 French troops, and 164,055 Imperial German troops who were killed in the Battle of the Somme

[@stephenhargrave7922]

Deliberate population control

[@la_old_salt2241]

My heart hurts that I could never talk to any of the soldiers who fought in the first world war. They've all gone now.

[@stephenhargrave7922]

They wouldnt have talked to you about it anyway. They all came back feeling duped and betrayed. Forced to destroy their ancestoral homelands for bankers and industrialists. Returned to a country they didn't recognize. Same as world war 2 but they were treated like heros when they came home to prevent them from speaking out as the ww1 veterans had done

[@dianehewston9700]

I am fortunate to be able to have done so and each one had his own unique story to tell, and his own point of view. Many however, like my own maternal Grandfather just could not talk about it ever, but just dealt with it with the help of the bottle each evening. It is the same with what men there are now that survive from the Second World War, they too are now very thin on the ground, so, if you ever get a chance to talk to any of those, particularly those who were in action, talk to them because I doubt you will ever forget what they might tell you,

[@PeterPan-iz1kk]

Blurring out historically important images/footage is disrespectful!

[@jeremylamovsky9868]

Blurring the footage is despicable. Yesterday marked the what, 108th anniversary of the first day? I can't imagine how terrible it was on so many levels. All these people who knew one another going over the top together, dying together, entire neighborhoods mourning together.

[@whiteonggoy7009]

I agree

[@mrfancypants1188]

Completely agree, history should never be censored, lest we forget

[@TheFunkhouser]

Why all the blurring!?

[@Grimm92a]

Bit too much blurring out,but still a great video.Thankyou

[@Stonewall386]

Stop blurring images of history

[@SticksUWP]

Take it up with KZbin... It's their rules.

[@MichaelNeusch]

@@SticksUWP who cares tell KZbin to get bent

[@mrfancypants1188]

"They were going to a place i couldn't follow" "All the people i knew where gone; except me..." This crumpled me....

[@stfc5138]

Nearly bought me to tears

[@marmid71]

It made me feel ice cold. Let us stand united to remember them.

[@jonkirk1309]

My Grandfather fought in the Battle of the Somme. He was part of the NZEF.

[@kelliebrand9837]

I love hearing their stories. God bless them. Please also recognise 46,000 Australians died in France including my relatives who still lay there. I wish it was said in this documentary. It wasn't just the British. I respect all your men 💯 brave British men. But please mention our Brave men who took up the call and came from the other side of the world to help you. Your Commonwealth Cousins, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and USA. This coming from a very proud Australian history lover and citizen.

[@marmid71]

As a Dutch citizen I visited the grounds where Australians fought, and I paid my respects in silence.

[@chadwatson343]

Only problem I have is the original footage is blurred?

[@moobaz8675]

Just incredible men.

[@brunozzz2736]

Great testimony from the veterans. Would be nice to have subtitles though as many are sadly difficult to understand for non native UK speakers

[@matthewjay660]

30:13 This veteran just said that they never deviated the tank for nothing. 😲😳😨 That means they also crushed living wounded!

[@johnrhodes3350]

You understood him correctly

[@mrfancypants1188]

As he said "all humanity leaves you during war" its very true, you can't imagine the things you are capable of doing when you're fighting for the lives of your brothers and for your own survival

[@ryanberger6796]

Father's day gifts come in so many forms!!!

[@CombatWombatQRF]

Blurring is annoying but the stories are incredible

[@JamesWillson-x2p]

Six miles for four months of fighting. One word, senseless.

[@gregoryphillips2939]

Don't blur the carnage of these terrible times.

[@DrDeadleg]

They have to due to youtube policies.

[@MichaelNeusch]

@@DrDeadlegwho cares

[@DrDeadleg]

​@@MichaelNeusch the uploader does.

[@DavidCronin-bh7rl]

I agree with this comment war is horrible but people need to see HOW horrible it is please stop blurring it out please my great grandfather fought in this war it needs to be shown how terrible and violent it was it was 🇨🇦😢

[@mynamedoesntmatter8652]

You don’t understand violence and horror unless you see it? If you have any books, do they all have pictures drawn into the horrific parts so you’ll ‘know?’

[@paulsidaway4014]

​@mynamedoesntmatter8652 in the 90's it was shown on British tv without blurring everything out

[@EricGiebel-hs7uv]

May our Father in Heaven forgive us for killin each other through the years. My God it has been terrible

[@pauly4312]

Blurring these videos does an injustice to those who served. I’m really disappointed that you had to do this…

[@paulsidaway4014]

Funny how back in the 90's l watched this series without images being blurred . What a woke time we are living in . Unbelievable. People need to see these images it reveals the truth.

[@turbyoulance]

Lest we forget

[@YYCEyeGuyGord]

Petty Officer Birch thanks you gentlemen for your bravery and enduring sacrifices. BZ, Semper Fi.

[@chucknichter3233]

Blurring is idiotic and ruins the video

[@DrDeadleg]

Blame youtube for their policies.

[@noahmcgee2247]

Cry about it

[@FlyingLow_Productions]

Don't blur out the footage!! 😒

[@MichaelGibbons-uk2mc]

What are you people talking about? It's old film, film was grainy in those days when taken with many cameras. Get over yourselves.

[@FlyingLow_Productions]

@@MichaelGibbons-uk2mc You clearly haven't watched this properly!

[@hammerhead9588]

Newfoundland Regiment @ Beaumont-Hamel, lest we forget.

[@patrickrichards2577]

✨🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿✨🥀R.I.P.🥀✨💔✨🙏✨.

[@marshallgiles6255]

Great information. Semper Fi.

[@chrisholland7367]

The first day of a campaign that lasted approximately 4 months cost the British Army 60,000 casualties in only a few short hours 20,000 dead and rest missing and wounded. It was also the first time they used their new secret weapon, The Tank .

[@stephenwright414]

Thank you for sharing these

[@jay8656]

Remember Them. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇬🇧

[@briandanker8431]

Why wasn’t any of the British generals held accountable? The youth of the UK were slaughtered.

[@hjusn]

That didn’t happen back in the day.

[@waveygravey9347]

For what?

[@Luke-xl9tj]

Just like corrupt politicians aren’t held accountable. Iraq was avoidable until politicians got involved too

[@briandanker8431]

@@waveygravey9347 are you so cold and ignorant that you don’t realize the number of dead?

[@waveygravey9347]

@@briandanker8431 "Look, big number" isn't a good reason.

[@KonyakChemtok]

Germen are the most skillful people in the world German techniques are the best of the best the strongest her defeat was due to resources could have conquered the whole world

[@MrRichgounder1969]

Terrible waste of life for Rich politicians and their greed. People are still at war with one another today for what? Greed for land or money.

[@patrickrichards2577]

✨🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿✨🥰✨👍✨♥️✨🤗✨.

[@Gooddeeds023]

👍

[@TonyA4766]

It’s a shame you have to blur the video. Makes this unwatchable.

[@mynamedoesntmatter8652]

Ruins the entire thing, huh. Can’t learn anything because you can’t see something terrible. Great Scott.

[@Achilles22]

I agree I turned off because of this😢

[@mynamedoesntmatter8652]

@@Achilles22 Do you realize I’m being facetious? Or are you just replying to the OC? I fail to understand how anyone can’t realize that war is beyond destructive by reading books - without pictures. No wonder this country is tanking even faster than old potato can take it down. Is ignorance really bliss, or what?? How can people not know, without seeing something horrendous that war is beyond horrific? It’s like people driving past a bad car wreck: they turn into rubberneckers trying to see blood and body parts. I suppose that way they’ll ‘know’ how dangerous an accident can be. GREAT SCOTT but people are dumb as bags of hammers. Vapid, vacuous, desensitized - ignorant.

[@blsfan1973]

Well close your eyes ... and just listen you will glean more info .. visually unappealing..yes but my god man we are listening to stories of history

[@mynamedoesntmatter8652]

@@blsfan1973 Thank you. I’m so tired of desensitized people only here for the gore. They “can’t believe it” unless they see it. None of them read, I’m very sure of that. Glad to see someone like yourself addressing the ‘gore seekers.’ I say again: Great Scott!!

[@chriselliott368]

I wish you fellows wouldn't blur out the more graphic images. We can handle it ......

[@alexdjokov]

Ww1 hawking 😮 he is lost in past sorry

[@KonyakChemtok]

According to the German British are wax against diamond

[@jamesrodgers3132]

What would the Germans have been if they had been the ones charging British machine guns? They showed it when they faced the tanks. Just human flesh on both sides.

[@garyfautley9843]

My grandad Arthur valentine was a runner in this battle

[@chiselcheswick5673]

Regarding the blurring you can find plenty of film and pictures else where.. just be here to listen to those mens stories told first hand.

[@paulsidaway4014]

It was shown in the 90's on British TV without blurring the images

[@lefreeman3283]

Glad ya racing again. Missed seeing you out thers

[@amandanz1973]

One of the saddest stories from the war. 😢

[@Rob-ik7jy]

Thank you for your service and gods speed to those ahead of us.

[@big.cheese.007]

And what was it all for?

[@Chief-Dueef]

I couldn't understand him.. what did dude say happened when he was smoking a cigarette?

[@stuartmckillop4466]

He was holding it up above the trench , at night I imagine , so that a German sniper might see it and he would get a bullet through the hand

[@jamesrodgers3132]

I think he was showing how violently his hand was shaking (with fear). I think he says he wasn't ashamed to say it.

[@mrfancypants1188]

You both might be right

[@georgehartler3423]

Lord & Mercy, what nonsense what's this? My grandfather was Captain of Imperial Russian Artillery on the Eastern Front. Universal a whole lot about it but I caught a little bit trust me you know he was right up there thank God I never seen it exclamation point thank God I never seen it

[@mohawkdriver4155]

It's said there are no atheists in foxholes, but do you suppose those men who witnessed all the horrors and death still believed in God and a life in the hereafter?

[@justinpino8115]

Yes

[@KonyakChemtok]

No any substance can scretch diamond because diamond signify to Germen

[@dylanway2403]

We ah losing objective Apples 🗣️

[@russell7852]

Mr Hawkins is a vampire aint no way hes that old