Battle of the Somme Special Exhibition and 1916 Film Mark 100 Years Since the Battle

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Battle of the Somme Special Exhibition and 1916 Film Mark 100 Years Since the Battle

21 June 2016

A painting by a renowned artist depicting Yorkshire soldiers on the front line at the Somme will go on show for the first time later this month to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the battle.

On Friday 24th June, York Castle Museum will open a special exhibition about the battle, focusing on Arthur Radclyffe Dugmore, an officer of the Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry during the First World War, after research revealed him to be a renowned painter, photographer and author, particularly well-known in America.

The painting of his comrades will be displayed alongside stories from his extraordinary life.

Additionally, on Wednesday 6th July, Imperial War Museums (IWM) and York Museums Trust are working together to show the UNESCO listed film The Battle of the Somme to audiences across the world.

Shot and screened in 1916, it was the first feature length documentary about war and changed the way both cinema and film was perceived by the public.

In the year of its release around 20 million people, almost half the population of Britain at the time, watched The Battle of the Somme, many hoping to see the image of a loved-one or friend captured on film.

One hundred years later, this unique film from IWM’s collection, is being shown to commemorate the anniversary of the Battle of the Somme. The film will be shown at the Yorkshire Museum from 7pm to 8:30pm and tickets can be purchased online here.

Rob Wake, collections facilitator at York Castle Museum said:

“The Battle of the Somme was the largest battle of the First World War on the Western Front and, with more than one million men killed or wounded, it was the most devastating.

“In remembrance, we will be displaying a poignant painting of the battle by Arthur Radclyffe Dugmore for the first time, along with a collection of his personal belongings.”

Lorna Hogger, curator of Fine Art at York Art Gallery, said:

Truth and Memory: British Art from the First World War is the largest exhibition of British First World War Art for almost 100 years. The major retrospective comprises of more than 60 artworks from IWM (Imperial War Museums) including some that depict the Somme battlefields.

“The Battle of the Somme film is one of the most important and significant documentations of the battle and we are honoured to be working with the Imperial War Museums (IWM) to show this to the public.”

The film screening of The Battle of the Somme is a FREE event. Please click here to book.

 

The Battle of the Somme (1st July – 18th November 1916)

The Somme offensive was designed to relieve exhausted French defences at Verdun. The plan was to attack the German army along a 37 kilometre front near the Somme River in northern France.

At 7:30am on 1 July 1916, British and French troops went ‘over the top’. Days of artillery bombardment had done little damage to the well defended German trenches and the allied soldiers came under heavy machine gun fire as they tried to cross No Man’s Land.

In the first 24 hours of battle 19,240 British soldiers were killed and 35,493 wounded. Military leaders continued to send men over the top for the next several months. The campaign was finally called off on the 18 November 1916. Allied casualties reached 600,000 whilst the Germans lost over 500,000 men.

The first day of the Somme is still the single bloodiest day in British military history and the battle has become a highly controversial part of the First World War.

Arthur Radclyffe Dugmore (1870-1955)

York Castle Museum worked with a placement student from the University of York Institute for the Public Understanding of the Past to research a painting of the Battle of the Somme held in the Museum stores.

Research revealed that the artist, Arthur Radyclyffe Dugmore, was actually the renowned painter, photographer and author of the book When the Somme Ran Red: The Experiences of an Officer of the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry During the First World War who was well-known internationally, predominantly in America, for his work.

York Castle Museum have worked with the family of Arthur Radclyffe Dugmore who were able to tell curators more about his life and have loaned the museum several of his personal belongings for this special exhibition.

When the First World War began, Welsh-born Arthur Radyclyffe Dugmore was already forty three years old. As a pioneering photographer, painter and author he traveled to Belgium and recorded the German invasion.

Dugmore served in the trenches but was gassed during the Battle of the Somme, causing him to become incapacitated and no longer fit for active duty. He continued to serve by giving lectures in America, encouraging support for the Allies’ war effort.

He recorded his experiences in his publication When the Somme Ran Red: The Experiences of an Officer of the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry During the First World War and in a painting titled Battle of the Somme. 9th & 10th Service Battalions of the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry opposite Fricourt 1st July 1916 that will be shown at York Castle Museum from June 24th to September 18th.

For more information about the First World War Centenary Partnership’s plans to commemorate the Battle of the Somme please visit www.1914.org.