At the Somme the British troops were told that the Germans and their trenches would have been blasted by the bombardment and that the wire would have been destroyed. In fact they went into the worst slaughter ever suffered by a British army. The wire was not even damaged. Thousands of men died trying to struggle through it. The deep bunkers had not been destroyed either, and from them the Germans slaughtered the British as they advanced across No-Man's-Land.
From Britain at War 1914-1918 (1982), by Craig Mair This textbook was written for use in British schools
A photograph taken in September 1916 at the remains of the German machine gun post near Guillemont.
Click on the photograph to enlarge it.
Question 1
The photograph (Source B) was taken by someone who had seen the effect of military bombardment at first hand. Source A was written by someone who had not.
Does this mean that Source B is more reliable than Source A for a study of the effect of artillery in the First World War ?
Explain your answer using Sources A and B and your own knowledge.
The conference area for this question is not yet online
When you have finished your essay you should :
Save a copy of it and a backup copy to disc. Give Mr Fanning a copy on disc OR a printed copy OR email a copy to him.
