Somme selfies: Durham boy with a comical wardrobe fix

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

John Lichfield
Tuesday 21 June 2016 13:21 BST
Comments

A tommy with his service hat folded comically into the shape of a working man’s cloth cap, poses for the camera during or just before the battle of the Somme. He is a member of the Durham Light Infantry. Two “chums” battalions from the DLI fought on the calamitous first day of the Somme on 1 July 1916. Many of them were miners who had volunteered in the early weeks of the war in 1914. Throughout June, we are publishing 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.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in