The First Day On The Somme by Martin Middlebrook, which I bought in 1992. Middlebrook’s emotive and forthright prose appeals as he tells the story of the the first day through the experiences of those who fought, and it is so personal that you can’t help but be affected by the experiences whilst reading from the very spots they happened. Depending on the day’s exploration, this is a book which perhaps needs marking up before going into the field with relevant tales of raw courage, shambles and sadness.

When The Barrage Lifts by Gerald Gliddon. This copy dates from 1993 – also well used! Wherever you are on The Somme, Gliddon’s A-Z is a goldmine information . Brilliant and a must take in the field.

The Somme Battlefields by Martin and Mary Middlebrook probably represents the best value I have ever had from a book. This copy I bought in 1998 and as you can see it is well thumbed. Whether walking or cycling it is the first book in the bag. It is organised by area, so easy to navigate and sensitively written. As a guide or simply as a fascinating read, this is a very special book!

We’re heading back to The Somme in early September. No particular plans at this point but, with bicycles close by, I am sure we will visit many of the evocative battlefields and seek out new and extraordinary stories from a remarkable era. Looking forward already…

Sadly this video is no longer on YouTube. So I will change tense and say that I was very pleased to see this on YouTube, I seem to have mislaid my old DVD copy. Pity is isn’t the whole show. At about 7:20 as Malcolm is describing dead bodies, Wogan quickly changes the subject to food!

I have discarded my cloak of comfort and volunteered to drive for the Oxford based Eden Aid charity (www.edenaid.org) and very soon I expect to be part of a team driving minibuses to the Poland/Ukraine border to deliver vital medical and humanitarian supplies and return with vulnerable refugees and their pets to host families in the UK.

I have set up a JustGiving page to raise funds for this fantastic cause delivering aid and transporting people to new beginnings.

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/richard-hancock5

Please have a look and a read (it’s not long!) and if you feel you could donate anything at all I would be thrilled.

Thank you.