Dan Snow’s History Hit – "The First Day of the Somme"
Date: November 3, 2025
Featuring: Dan Snow (A), Jen Baldwin (B), genealogist and research specialist for Find My Past
Overview of the Episode
Dan Snow explores the catastrophe of the first day of the Battle of the Somme (July 1, 1916)—the bloodiest single day in British military history. The episode focuses on the concept and tragedy of the "Pals Battalions"—units of friends, coworkers, and neighbors who enlisted and fought together—and tells their stories through compelling archival research. Genealogist Jen Baldwin brings fresh insights and personal accounts, using Find My Past's archival resources to recapture the voices and losses of these soldiers and their devastated communities.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Setting the Scene: Why Somme, Why Pals?
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British Army Transformation:
Pre-WWI, Britain had a small, professional army intended for imperial policing, not mass continental warfare. The outbreak of WWI caught the nation unprepared for massive engagements (03:15). -
Birth of the Pals Battalions:
The idea: men would be more willing to enlist if they could serve with friends (Pals). Entire communities, sometimes from a single street, joined en masse. Kitchener's famous "Your Country Needs You" campaign capitalized on this (05:10)."If your football captain, your foreman, your brother-in-law are all signing up and going, how could you not?" – Jen Baldwin [07:51]
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Tragic Consequence:
While boosting morale and recruitment, when these units took heavy casualties, entire towns lost generations of young men overnight.
2. The Build-Up to July 1, 1916
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Planning & Pressure:
- British commanders (notably Douglas Haig) planned an unprecedented artillery bombardment to break German lines.
- The battle occurred earlier than the British wanted due to French demands, as Verdun raged and French forces were stretched (12:44).
- Germans held high ground, deep dugouts, and formidable barbed wire, making the lines nearly impregnable.
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The Bombardment:
- Over one week, 1.5 million shells were fired—many failed to detonate.
- The scale was such that to this day, farmers around the Somme still uncover unexploded ordnance (17:22).
3. Firsthand Pals Stories—Tragedies and Testimonies
a. James Snelum, Chorley Pals
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Background: Joined at 16, desperate to stay with his mates. Survived the first day, but wounded (18:27).
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Personal Account:
"Men were lying all over the damn show. I hadn't run far before a shell burst above me and I got shrapnel... my best friends were gone because we were all running together, you see, when the shell burst came. We hadn't a cat in hell's chance." – James Snelum [21:34]
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Aftermath: Snelum lay wounded for 12 hours before crawling back to safety.
b. Tom Wiley, Leeds Pals
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Background: Son of a prominent MP, well-educated. The Leeds Pals primarily drew from middle-class backgrounds—office workers, teachers, clerks (26:09).
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Death and Remembrance:
"When he dies, his parents install a memorial window, actually, in their parish church, and then a new family vault to recognize his loss... the Wiley’s family is just publicly in mourning the entire time." – Jen Baldwin [27:32]
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The Emotional Toll: News of Tom's death was published and republished, keeping his family's grief ever present in public memory.
c. Harold and Percy Kitchen, Liverpool Pals
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“The Twins” Story:
Both brothers enlisted in September 1914; Percy killed in January 1916, Harold at the Somme (37:44). -
End of a Family Line:
"The Kitchen name comes to an end for this family, if you will, on that battlefield... The losses weren't just felt in the present, of course, they're carried into the future." – Jen Baldwin [40:56]
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Hidden Cost: Census records post-war show a home “like a roll call of absence,” emphasizing the generational void left behind.
d. John Robert McFall, Grimsby Chums
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Background: House painter, local footballer—iconic "ordinary" story (50:21).
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Community Loss: Entire football teams and work crews signed up together, reflecting local ties.
"He was the idol of the section, generous to a fault, refuses to be made an NCO..." – Letter from Lance Corporal Normandale, McFall’s comrade [52:03]
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Aftermath: Community tries to ascribe “glory” to loss for meaning and solace, but beneath it all, the grief is all-encompassing (53:31).
4. The Catastrophe on the Ground
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What Went Wrong:
- The artillery bombardment failed to destroy the German defenses.
- British troops advanced in lines, weighed down by equipment, expecting minimal resistance—faced intact barbed wire and machine guns (23:57).
"They were mown down like meadow grass. I felt sick at the sight of the carnage and remember weeping." – British signaler [32:07]
- German survival in deep dugouts allowed rapid manning of their positions as soon as the barrage ended.
- Inflexible attack plans meant units could not adapt to local successes or failures; communication lagged behind the action.
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Casualty Figures:
- British casualties: About 57,000 on the first day (20,000 killed).
- Some Pals units: 80–90% casualties in minutes ("We were two years in the making. Ten minutes in the destruction." – Survivor [25:42])
- Communities such as Accrington and Leeds lost over 80% of their Pals.
5. Media, Memory & Remembrance
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Censorship and Reporting:
- Newspapers published “halo of glory” language, but rarely the full horror. Coverage shaped by the need to maintain morale and minimize dissent (55:43).
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Legacy of the Pals:
- Their losses were intensely local and personal. Families, teams, entire streets were forever changed.
- Survivors were integrated into other units, ending the experiment of community-based recruitment (59:46).
"The Pals are so distinctive because the casualties aren't scattered across the army, they are concentrated in these really localised units." – Jen Baldwin [60:31]
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Research and Remembrance Today:
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Find My Past’s digitized archives and newspapers facilitate family and local historians' efforts to recover these forgotten stories (62:25).
"They're not just numbers on a casualty list. They're individuals who made choices, they had friendships. They were lost. So these sources are crucially important..." – Jen Baldwin [63:29]
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Notable Quotes & Moments
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On Recruitment and the Pals:
"If your football captain, your foreman, your brother-in-law are all signing up and going, how could you not?" – Jen Baldwin [07:51]
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On Immediate Aftermath:
"We were two years in the making. Ten minutes in the destruction." – Survivor of Leeds Pals [25:42]
"Men were lying all over the damn show... my best friends were gone because we were all running together." – James Snelum [21:34]
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German Perspective:
"More than a week we'd live with the deafening noise of the battle... There they come, the khaki yellows. They're not more than 20 meters in front of our trench... Machine gun fire tears holes in their rows... They discover our presence, throw themselves on the ground..." – German soldier Castle [33:43]
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On Loss and Legacy:
"Akerton lost 81% of its men that morning, Leeds 83%... Take away the percentage and think about it just in numbers of souls." – Jen Baldwin [61:10]
"It's not just about the lives lost, but the lives that never got to live. The First World War obviously leaves gaps in every family." – Jen Baldwin [41:08]
Timestamps for Major Segments
- [00:01] – Introduction, background on the Somme, and the Pals idea
- [06:31] – Jen Baldwin on Pals Battalion origins and social context
- [17:22] – The week-long bombardment and British expectations of victory
- [18:27] – James Snelum’s story: enlisting underage, first-hand account of the attack
- [26:09] – Tom Wiley and the Leeds Pals: class, death, and remembrance
- [37:44] – The Kitchen twins and the Liverpool Pals: family loss and generational impact
- [49:24] – Grimsby Chums, John Robert McFall: football, local identity, and fatal sacrifice
- [55:43] – Media coverage, censorship, and community mourning
- [57:47] – Lessons of the Somme: a disaster, but also a learning experience
- [59:46] – Aftermath for the Pals; why the model was abandoned
- [62:25] – Closing: using Find My Past to research family and local stories
Overall Tone and Language
- Sober, empathetic, and rich in both military history and human experience.
- Dan Snow balances detailed military analysis with personal, poignant stories.
- Jen Baldwin’s contributions are vivid and sensitive, focusing on the human cost, everyday life, and the role of archives/newspapers in reconnecting with the past.
Summary
This episode delivers a powerful account of the first day of the Battle of the Somme as experienced by the Pals Battalions—highlighting not only the strategic flaws and horror of the attack but, most memorably, the intimate stories of those who marched, fought, and fell side-by-side with their friends. The community-driven nature of the Pals units intensified both the pride and the devastation for local towns, leaving scars passed down for generations.
Through expert archival research, the podcast restores individuality to the fallen, moving beyond the statistics to reveal the texture of their lives, deaths, and memories. Ultimately, the episode is a compelling reminder of the enduring impact of the Somme—not just on military history, but on family histories woven into the fabric of Britain and beyond.