The First Day on The Somme

The mighty struggle for the Somme sector of the Western Front in the second half of 1916 has come to be remembered for the dreadful toll of casualties inflicted on Britain's 'New Armies' by the German defenders on the first day of the offensive, 1 July. The battle continued, however, throughout the autumn and only came to a close in the bitter cold of mid-November. The British plan relied on the power of artillery to suppress and destroy the German defences; the infantry were tasked with taking and holding the German trenches, but minimal resistance was anticipated.

Through graphics, archive, oral history and travels across the scenes of past battles, Neil Pigot and Dr Peter Pedersen explain where, why and how the ANZACs fought in France and Belgium almost 100 years ago.

This 4 CD collection gathers together for the first time the entire Ian Campbell Folk Group catalogue recorded for Transatlantic Records, covering the period 1963-1968. This collection includes 6 studio albums plus related bonus material from the period. The Ian Campbell Folk Group were one of the most respected, influential and best known British folk groups of the 1960’s. Taking their origins from Aberdeen, the band formed in Birmingham in 1958. They signed to Transatlantic Records in 1963 and proceeded to record the content of this collection over the next 6 years. They topped the bill at the Royal Albert Hall, made numerous TV appearances, attended the Newport Folk Festival in 1964 and were prolific live performers throughout Europe. Dave Swarbrick and Dave Pegg who both achieved fame with Fairport Convention, are featured in this collection.