During the Battle of the Somme during World War I, in July 1916, British soldiers' battle casualties were treated before being transported to a base hospital on the Western Front.

　A British soldier's battle casualty is treated before being taken to a base hospital on the Western Front during the Battle of the Somme during World War I in July 1916. During the Battle of the Somme, one of the worst battles ever fought in World War I, both the British and French armies failed to end the war, and approximately one million soldiers lost their lives. British soldiers were burned by explosives used during the war. Many soldiers died on the battlefield from shell explosions, and those who survived suffered shrapnel wounds to their faces and bodies.

　The Somme offensive lasted about four months, from April 1 to November 19, 1916. Compared to the French troops, who had received compulsory education before the war, the British soldiers were like amateurs, and their lack of combat training was made up for by their numbers. When World War I broke out on July 28, 1914, there were approximately 250,000 British soldiers. By the time the Somme offensive began, the number of British troops participating in the fighting had swelled to about 1.5 million or more. In addition to British troops, the Allied forces in northern France that converged on the Somme included units from across the British Empire, including Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, and India.

　July 1, 1916, when the Battle of the Somme, the bloodiest of World War I, broke out, was the bloodiest day for British forces. The Battle of the Somme broke out on the Somme River in France by Allied forces. The battle began with a heavy artillery barrage that rained artillery down relentlessly on the Germans until 7:30 a.m., when the attack began. About 100,000 men of the British Fourth Army crossed the crest of the trenches and headed for the German front line. The Germans, accustomed to defensive tactics, burrowed deeper into the trenches. The battle lines were reinforced by the bunkers, and the British believed they could be crushed by artillery. Many Germans held their bunkers and the Germans were ready for battle. The artillery changed targets, and when the British infantry began to charge, the German machine gunners were ready to attack. By the end of the first day of the Somme, some 57,000 British soldiers had been killed or wounded and some 19,240 killed.

　The Allied forces as a whole were unable to make much progress, and troops were forced to isolate themselves. It cost the Allies about 4.8 square kilometers of land. After the first day of the Battle of the Somme, many British Hague commanders were horrified by the losses and intended to abandon the attack. However, with the imminent destruction of the French army at Verdun, Haig felt compelled to continue the Battle of the Somme. The British alone could not win the war, and urgent pleas from the French commander Joffre, who was bogged down at Verdun, and French generals Pétain and Nivelle made it clear that the French would be defeated if the Germans concentrated all their forces at Verdun. The casualty figures for the Battle of the Somme were approximately 420,000 British casualties (including 125,000 dead), 200,000 French casualties, and 500,000 German casualties. The Battle of the Somme marked the first time tanks were used in combat and the introduction of major new technology.