My Great-Grandfather's War: Lt-Gen Thomas Snow & The Somme

<p>Dan explores his great-grandfather's part in the First World War. Lieutenant-General Thomas Snow was a senior officer in the British Army who commanded troops on the first day of the Somme. It was a disaster; thousands of men died for almost no strategic gains, and his legacy would be tarnished forever. But Snow's record is more complicated than that, having proved himself a competent defensive commander earlier in the conflict. So how should we remember the men who presided over catastrophes like the Somme? Were these disasters due to a lack of preparation, failures in leadership, or both?</p><br><p>Dan speaks to Paul Reed, a leading historian of the First World War, to find out more about his great-granddad's wartime service and his complex legacy.</p><br><p>Produced by James Hickmann and edited by Dougal Patmore.</p><br><p>Discover the past on History Hit with ad-free original podcasts and documentaries released weekly presented by world-renowned historians like Dan Snow, Suzannah Lipscomb, Lucy Worsley, Matt Lewis, Tristan Hughes and more. Get 50% off your first 3 months with code <a href="http://access.historyhit.com/checkout?code=dansnow&plan=monthly" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">DANSNOW</a>. Download the app or sign up<a href="https://historyhit.com/subscribe" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> here.</a></p><br><p>We'd love to hear from you! You can email the podcast at <a href="mailto:[email protected]" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">[email protected]</a>.</p><br><p>You can take part in our listener survey<a href="https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/6FFT7MK" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> here</a>.</p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>