Films were very rare in the early 20th century, so there are many other sources. Pictures, letters, autobiographies, poems and diaries from the trenches have been found. Many of which agree with the film. For example a letter from Bert Bailey, in the 11th Rifle Brigade, states: “Please stop sending me tea, sugar and salt for a bit as we already have some.” This shows that the film is correct in that soldiers had very large amounts of food.
The film also shows the injured, and the change of emotions throughout the battle.
Many Historians believe that due to those reasons, the film is a very useful piece of historical evidence. Another reason why the film can be a good source is how it shows some of the living conditions in the trenches. It also shows some of the “Hell” of the Somme. The film contains footage from rescue missions, and other attacks, events, and how relieved soldiers were to be in the reserved trenches.
However, other Historians believe that it is not a good historical source. For example, the film did not show the war crimes and atrocities committed by the British and the Germans in the Somme. The cases of hundreds of P-O-Ws (Prisoners of War) being massacred behind the trenches were not shown in the film. Nor was the harsh treatment of Prisoners in the trenches. The film would almost defiantly not show the savage behaviour of soldiers, because it would make the soldiers seem bad. Also the British Government edited the film.
Another thing not shown in the film was the huge losses and terrible strategies used by the generals of Britain and France. A letter from Pvt. Leonard Hart, of the 5th New Zealand Reinforcements, says that many soldiers were killed due to friendly fire, or suicidal charges commanded by their officers. Also the letter states that hundreds of “Tommies” were left wounded, screaming for help in no-man’s land for days, as medics made no attempt to save them. Also, the soldier’s friend who was going on leave to England was to send the letter. This proves that the censors would not let things that could damage the trust in the government.
Another example is how the film does not show all of the conditions in the trenches. The dugouts where the soldiers slept were also used as toilets. Very nasty infections like trench foot were spreading; so wooden planks were placed on the floor. Also the film did not show how very little of trenches survived the enemy bombardment.
Also, some of the scenes seemed too rehearsed to be real attacks. Some shots seemed very unusual that the cameraman was not hit by a bullet, for example one shot showed soldiers running into a mist while the cameraman stood behind them. This seems strange that the mist was very fortunately there, and no bullets were seen hitting anyone or anything around. Another scene shows soldiers going over top. As everyone climbs over one person is shot and falls back down. The shot seemed too orderly to be real. Also, usually when soldiers went over top there would be a very high death toll, (the letter from Leonard Hart also says that the death rate was around 90%). This would mean that only two or three soldiers would make it over, while all the others would be killed. The soldiers shown in these scenes were real soldiers, but they were told what to do by the cameraman.
The film would not show a lot of the life in the Somme, because the film was propaganda, used to raise morale. But also, the film was very graphic for its time. In my opinion, the film is a good source of evidence, but numerous scenes should be taken into consideration that they may have been staged or scripted. But actually the film does show many elements of the battle, which would be absolutely disturbing for soldiers. The film remains to be one of the most successful British films ever made, and it will be remembered throughout history as one of the only films made about The First World War in the early 1900s. It may not seem to be very graphic, but for its time it is one of the most realistic portrayals of one of the most gruesome and terrifying battles of all time.
By Luke Warner