Siegfried Sassoon's War Journal

"July 1st, 1916...Inferno—inferno—bang—smash!!"

On this day, 108 years ago, the deadliest battle of World War I began. That morning, at 7:30 am, a young soldier named Siegfried Sassoon wrote in his diary before heading out to fight in the Battle of the Somme—of the three-million men who fought, one-million were killed or wounded.

This week, Americans celebrate July 4th—the conclusion of another brutal war. Our global history is scarred with bloody battles like these. Sometimes, it is easy to forget the monumental cost of human life (see my Memorial day post on War Diaries). So, on this day, I thought it appropriate to linger on the poet Siegfried Sassoon, veteran and anti-war activist. He wrote some of the most evocative war diaries—including his entry on July 1st, 1916, just before he fought at the Battle of the Somme.