Somme selfies: harsh reality of war

In the run-up to July’s centenary of one of the bloodiest battles in human history, The Independent is publishing a different Tommy’s picture every day

A dazed and battered-looking British soldier stares at the camera before or during the terrible battle of the Somme which began 100 years ago tomorrow (1 July). Not all British soldiers who fought on the Somme were young. At least one Tommy who died during the four and a half months of fighting on the Somme was in his 50s. He had lied about his age when he volunteered in 1914. On each day for a month up to tomorrow’s centenary, we have published a “Selfie from the Somme” – an image chosen from a collection of more than 700 long-lost photographs brought to light by The Independent in recent years. The images have generated enormous interest from all over the world since we started publishing them in 2009. Only a handful of the soldiers have been identified.