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Forgotten diary captures horror of the Somme

A British soldier's pocket diary of life in the trenches during the early days of the Battle of the Somme have been made public for the first time. [Private] Walter Hutchinson was a young shop manager when he enlisted in the 10th Battalion, York and Lancaster Regiment. His poignant record of the battle, in 1916, includes a moving account of the first day during which more than 62,000 comrades died. [Private] Hutchinson's handwritten account gives a graphic story of his own survival as wave after wave of soldiers went"over the top" only to be cut down by German fire.

Related Links

  • Extended extracts: Diary from the Somme
  • Read entire article at Telegraph