The Battle of the Somme epitomised the cruelty of the Western Front. 1 July 1916 witnessed the opening round of the British Army's attempt to break through an eighteen-mile front of heavily defended German lines straddling the River Somme in northern France. Preceded by an artillery bombardment of over 1,500 big guns that lasted a week, the inexperienced members of Lord Kitchener's New Army went 'over the top' and suffered the deadliest day in British military history. On the first day, British losses alone totalled nearly 20,000 dead. In the next four and a half months of combat, over 350,000 British soldiers would become casualties to one of the most intense, lethal, and futile engagements in history.

There is a distinct lack of readily available information about the British prime ministers, especially as a group. There are thick biographies of the big names Pitt, Gladstone, Churchill - but who were the others? There are plenty of short booklets and pamphlets for all the monarchs but little or nothing on most of the fifty-three PMs. What better way to introduce these individuals than through a short, accurate review of each Prime Minister, briefly describing their background and influence, their role in British history and in major world events. On closer inspection, the PMs are revealed to be more colourful figures than might be imagined, whose unique personalities and individual deeds shaped important historical events. British Prime Ministersoffers a handy and accessible guide to all of Britain's heads of government, from Sir Robert Walpole right through to Boris Johnson, thereby lifting the veil of obscurity from an all-too-neglected cast of characters.

Illustration By G. Ruiz. California Historical Society, Special Publication No. 16. California Historical Society Quarterly, V16, No. 1-4.

It seems absurd to claim it, but the Battle of Passchendaele was in many ways worse than the Somme. The British offensive, also known as the Third Battle of Ypres, was launched on the Belgium battlefield at 3.30 a.m. on 31 July 1917. It was a massive effort by General Sir Douglas Haig and the British Army to achieve a strategic breakthrough and defeat Germany. Attrition would defeat a Germany that was, many believed, 'on the ropes'. Just one more 'big push' would secure victory - yet it failed. Passchendaele continued until November 1917 and became synonymous with the tragedy of the Great War: abominable weather, mud and filth; horrific injuries inflicted by increasingly industrialised warfare including tanks, gas, mines and flamethrowers; the enormous casualties (600,000) and the futility of the operation all combined to form a nightmare vision of war in the trenches. What was life like for the ordinary British soldier? Was the whole bloody effort necessary or were there alternatives? What, if anything, did it achieve? Passchendaele 1917 answers these questions while reminding us of the sacrifices and heroism of the soldiers who fought it.