Battle of the Somme

The Battle of the Somme was one of the bloodiest battles of World War I, and indeed human history. J.R.R. Tolkien fought there from July to October 1916, as Battalion Signalling Officer to the 11th Batallion of The Lancashire Fusiliers. His unit was stationed in the northern sector of the Somme and participated in the Battle of Thiepval Ridge and capture of Regina Trench. In October Tolkien contracted trench fever and was evacuated to England to convalesce; he did not return to the front lines.

Among the hundreds of thousands of young men killed at the Somme were two of Tolkien's close school friends: Robert Gilson and Geoffrey Bache Smith. Tolkien discussed the death of Gilson in a letter written in the trenches to Smith shortly before he too was killed by shrapnel. The "hideous" experience of the Battle, as Tolkien described it, is often seen to be reflected in his written work.

The Dead Marshes were inspired by the landscape of northern France in the aftermath of the battle.