Relive the drama of the Battle of the Somme through social media
This news article was published more than a year ago. Some of the information may no longer be accurate.
Published: 13/06/2016
An innovative new social media project will see the Battle of the Somme’s impact on South Gloucestershire residents explored through the use of Twitter.
We are using Twitter to mark one of the most costly episodes of the First World War, the Battle of the Somme which took place one hundred years ago. The social media drama will illustrate the war’s impact on soldiers fighting on the front as well as on communities far away from the battlefield at home in South Gloucestershire.
The dramatic story will feature 10 fictional characters based on people from the South Gloucestershire area who were involved in the Battle of the Somme which started on 1 July 1916. The story has been created by a local script writer, with information supplied by volunteers from South Gloucestershire heritage groups.
One of the characters telling their story is munitions worker Elizabeth Tucker. Born in 1897, Elizabeth lives in Mangotsfield with her widowed mother and younger sister. She works at the Crane’s firework factory in Warmley, which was converted to munitions work in 1914 making mills bombs (hand grenades). Some of the girls at the factory put letters to the Tommies on the frontline in with the grenades they box and send to the Western Front. As the war goes on Elizabeth becomes suspicious and, convinced that the Government is lying about the casualties of the Battle of the Somme, she becomes involved in politics and the movement for women’s right to vote.
The digital drama begins on 24 June and plays out through live Tweets over the initial three weeks of the battle. Join us on Twitter and learn more about each character by following @TheSomme_SG
Environment & Community Services Chair Cllr Heather Goddard said: “The social network Twitter will act as a window into the thoughts, hopes and fears of these ordinary people at the time of the Battle of the Somme, with each character telling their individual story. Followers will get a glimpse of what life was like in the trenches for soldiers, as well as learning about the contribution of local men, women and children on the Home Front.
“Visit Twitter and follow @TheSomme_SG to take part in this inventive new project.”
This campaign is part of the ‘South Gloucestershire and the First World War’ project launched in 2014, thanks to a grant of £60,000 under the Heritage Lottery Fund’s (HLF) First World War: then and now programme. More information on the First World War Centenary project can be found at www.southglos.gov.uk/ww1
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