简介：TheHeroesoftheSommeusesoriginalarchivefromtheWesternFronttouncoverthestoriesofsevenofthemenwhoseremarkablebraverywonthemtheVictoriaCross,Britain'smostprizedmilitarymedal. TheWWISommeoffensivelasted141daysandinvolved13Alliednationsfighting14separatebattles.DayOneofthebattle,1July1916,wastheworstinBritishmilitaryhistorywith60,000casualties.Bytheendoftheoffensivethetotalforbothsideswasamillion.Thisextraordinarysacrificewasmadeforjustsixmilesofemptyfarmland. OfroughlyamillionBritishandDominiontroopswhofoughtontheSomme,just51wereawardedtheVictoriaCross.Inthisprogramme,militaryhistorianDrGavinHughestravelstoFrancetopiecetogetherthestoriesofsevenofthem.Theirexperiences,coveringfourkeydaysofthebattle,tellthestoryoftheentireoffensive. Gavinusesacopyofa100-year-oldbattlemaptonavigatetheSommelandscapetoday,usingthemaptopinpointthelocationsofindividualsandthebattalionstheyfoughtin.TheVCwinnersfeaturedcamefromEngland,NorthernIreland,RepublicofIrelandandNewZealand.Thesemencamefromeveryrankandsocialbackground. Theprogrammefeaturescontributionsfromleadinghistorians,whoexplainthebroadercontextofthebattleanddescribehowtheoffensivehascometoberemembered,rightlyorwrongly,asaexerciseinfutilemilitarysacrifice. Meanwhile,interviewswithsurvivingfamilymembersrevealthepersonalstoriesofeachcharacter,exploringthedifferingfortunestheyexperienced,andthevarietyofreasonsforwhichtheyfought.Thisprogrammerevealstheirdifferences,butalsowhatmadethemthesame-theyallriskedeverything,wontheVictoriaCrossandweregenuineheroesoftheSomme.…