Does the film The Battle of the Somme provide a realistic picture of life in the trenches?
This enquiry consists of a structured investigation into the extent to which the film ‘The Battle of the Somme’ provides a realistic picture of life in the trenches. The aim is to develop the pupils’ ability to handle a range of source material and draw substantiated conclusions. The pupils start by examining key scenes from the film. Their task is to identify the main messages contained in the film, such as tactics, soldiers’ attitudes to war and the enemy, equipment and supplies, medical care and trench conditions. Then they investigate the background to the film and the context in which it was made, using this knowledge to highlight reasons why the film might not be totally trustworthy. The core activity to this enquiry involves the pupils cross-referencing the main messages of the film against a range of sources, including visual (cartoons, paintings and photographs), written (letters, diaries, memoirs and poems) and oral (interviews). At the end of their investigation, the pupils
