For many people, the Battle of the Somme was the battle that symbolised the horrors of warfare in World War One; this one battle had a marked effect on overall casualty figures and seemed to epitomise the futility of trench warfare. WO 161/79: Fourth Army HQ: summary of operations at the Battle of the Somme, Jun-Nov 1916. Fourth Army HQ: daily reports on the Battle of the Somme, Jul-Nov 1916. Seeger kept his appointment with death on July 1, 1916 - the first day of the Battle of the Somme. 141 - days the battle lasted, from July 1 to November 18. The official French war history that was published in 1916 estimates the French losses at Verdun at 377,231. The offensive began on 1 July 1916 after a week-long artillery bombardment of the German lines. Back to the Homepage Battle Verdun The Battle of Verdun and the number of casualties Nothing can be said of the number of dead, wounded and missing for certain. The offensive was one of … The following is a list of the casualties count in battles in world history.The list includes … The Battle of the Somme is one of the battles where a tremendous death toll took place within a short period of time. The Battle of the Somme, one of the bloodiest in our island's history, is often associated with the needless loss of young men. - Battle casualties ≠ battle deaths. The Battle of the Somme, also known as the Somme Offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and French Third Republic against the German Empire.It took place between 1 July and 18 November 1916 on both sides of the upper reaches of the River Somme in France. Following the Gallipoli withdrawal, the newly formed New Zealand Division left for France in early April 1916. The horrific bloodshed on the first day of the battle became a metaphor for futile and indiscriminate slaughter. Of this number 162,308 are dead or missing. He was 28 years old. 623,907 French and British soldiers became causalties as did up to half a million Germans. The Battle of the Somme started on July 1 st 1916. Somme shrouds show first day death toll Jump to media player Some 19,240 figures have been laid out in a park in Exeter to represent the huge death toll on the first day of the Battle of the Somme.