B. Glover

Bayonne High School

Bayonne, NJ 07002

E – mail

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/war/wwone/mirror04_01.shtml

Introduction l Tasks l Process l the Final Product l Background Information Sources for Research l Evaluation l Conclusion

Introduction

On July 1, 1916, after an eight – day preliminary bombardment on the enemy’s position, the Allies launched a major offensive against the well – entrenched Central Powers along the River Somme in France. This attack took place at 7:30 A.M., with 100,000 men climbing out of their trenches, and charging the enemy, shoulder – to – shoulder in line, across No – Man’s land. The first day of this offensive was the bloodiest in the history of the British Army. Nearly 20, 000 men were killed (1:5 ratio) and another 60,000 were injured (3:5 ratio). The Battle of the Somme would continue until mid - November 1916 with approximately 600,000 Allied and 500,000 German casualties.

Task

You will assume the role of an infantryman serving in the British Expeditionary Force in France. It is approximately 7 A.M., July 1, 1916 somewhere near the Somme River. In less than an hour, you and your unit will climb out of the trenches that you’ve taken shelter in for the last twelve days, and assault the Germans approximately nine miles away. Your task is to write a brief short story (approximately 1500 words) describing your experiences during of the Battle of the Somme.

Process

You will review a selection of websites that will give you an overview of the events that occurred before, during, and after the Battle of the Somme. To get to these sites place your cursor over the photographs (or the URL), press key Ctrl, then click.

http://users.wessex.net/w1007346/index.html

http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/2354/somme.html

http://www.btinternet.com/~a.jackson/pals.htm

http://www.stemnet.nf.ca/beaumont/somme.htm

http://www.worldwar1.com/tlbtw.htm

http://members.tripod.co.uk/hinckley/trenches.html

http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/kylet1/tfever.htm

Background Information Sources for Research

Review the following websites below that will assist you on the writing of your short story. In a short (short) story, one thing happens to one person during a single event.

1. http://teenwriting.about.com/library/weekly/aa030697.htm

2. http://teenwriting.about.com/library/blextras/blextra140.htm

3. http://teenwriting.about.com/library/weekly/aa061100a.htm

Remember:

· In fiction, a conflict is a struggle or fight.

· The protagonist is the main character; an antagonist is the force or person in conflict with the main character.

· The setting of a story is the time and place.

· Character + conflict + resolution = story.

· Show, don’t tell; create logical endings.*

In addition to your textbook, World History: People and Nations, and the extensive set of encyclopedias found in the school library, there is one other very important resource for you to use, a great website that chronicles every aspect of World War I titled The Great War (http://www.pbs.org/greatwar/ ) .

Evaluation

Score	Web sites	Historical accuracy	Short story format
3	Reviewed three – fourths of the web sites	All information on the battle is thorough and accurate	Highly creative
2	Examined more than half of the sites	Most of the information on the battle is thorough and accurate	Detailed and consistent
1	Visited at least three web sites	The information concerning the battle is incomplete	Unclear and lacks continuity

Conclusion

The Battle of the Somme would become the military bookmark of futility in the expenditure of men and resources. During the bitter twenty weeks of this battle, 1.1 million men would lose their lives. The once fertile soil where the trenches were dug would turn into toxic fields of battle debris, skeletal remains and unexploded ammunition. The remains of the missing are still being recovered today.

Figure 1: Recent WW 1 mass grave of German soldiers recovered in France

Figure 2: Recent picture of the trenches

*Rozakis, Laurie E., Ph.D, Creative Writing: The Complete Idiot’s Guide to (New York, Alpha Books, 1997) p106.