Sunday 3 July 2016

Somme Centenary and The Lord of the Rings


The Somme (http://lionheartnews.com)
On Friday, 1 July, we commemorated the centenary of the Battle of the Somme, which was fought between July and November 1916.  Described as one of the defining events of the First World War, when the battle was halted more than 1 million Commonwealth, French and German soldiers had been wounded, captured or killed.  The War Memorial in the War Memorial Library at TRS is dedicated to staff who gave their lives in the Great War.
Author JRR Tolkien was among those who took part in the Somme.  He was a signaller in the Lancashire Fusiliers and two of this best friends were killed in the battle.  His epic fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings was inspired by his experiences at the Somme.  You can borrow all three volumes, The Fellowship of the Ring, Two Towers and Return of the King from the Discovery Library.

Other great novels inspired by their author’s direct experience of war, including Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemmingway and All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque, are available to borrow from the War Memorial Library.

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