Module 2
Assignment 2.1 Learning History on the Web

Cheryl Lee DesRoches HIE 208 – W14S1
YOU NEED TO BEGIN WITH A PROPER TITLE PAGE
[For] Tthis assignment [I] will contrast and compare three websites that purport to describe the Battle of Sommes. AVOID FIRST PERSON They are: Newfoundland and the Great War – The Somme 1916 –(http://www. heritage.nf.ca/greatwar/articles/somme.html), Veterans Affairs Canada – 1919 Prelude to the Somme, (http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/history/first-worldwar/canada/Canada8) and Loyal Edmonton Regiment Museum – Sacrifice: The First World War – the Somme (http://www. lermuseum.org/en/chronology/first-world-war-1914-18/1916/somme-offensive-1-july-18-nov-and-courcelette-france-15-sept-1916/). IN INTRODUCTIONS OR THE BODY OF A PAPER, USE ABBREVIATED TITLES AND FOOTNOTE THE FULL TITLES.
THE SENTENCE BELOW BELONGS AT THE END OF THE PARAGRAPH ABOVE – IT ACTS AS A LINK TO LET THE READER KNOW YOU ARE GOING TO SHIFT FROM INTRO TO DISCUSSION. BELOW YOU NEED A TOPIC SENTENCE TO SET THE PARAGRAPH UP – THE FIRST SITE, ENTITLED…..PROVIDES MICRO ANALYSIS OF THE EVENT.
These three websites differ greatly in their detail, documentation and focus. The first site (Newfoundland and the Great War – The Somme 1916 ) produced by the Government of Newfoundland in association with Memorial University and others was a detailed story primarily of the Newfoundland soldiers through the battle, logically sequenced and properly referenced. Multimedia support and links were provided (some links appeared broken). AVOID LONG, AWKWARD SENTENCES The title accurately states the focus of the article. The specific author or authors were not provided and it appears to have been last updated in June 2008. FINISH UP YOUR DISCUSSION OF THIS SITE BEFORE MOVING ONTO THE NEXT – MOVE THROUGH A CONSIDERATION OF WHAT SORT OF INFORMATION THE SITE PROVIDES, WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE AND THEN STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES. ONCE YOU HAVE DONE THIS YOU CAN MOVE TO A DISCUSSION OF THE SECOND SITE.

The second site (Veterans Affairs Canada – 1919 Prelude to the Somme) was produced by the Government of Canada - Veterans Affairs. It presents a shorter story of the battle from the national perspective; using many facts and figures without any references. The page had minimal multimedia support and links. The specific author or authors were not provided and the website appears to have been last updated 21 November 2013.

The third website (Loyal Edmonton Regiment Museum – Sacrifice: The First World War – the Somme ) was created by The Loyal Edmonton Regiment Military Museum. It presents the least information of the three sites, primarily focused on a late battle (Courcelette, 15 Sept) with no references used and providing no multimedia support for this story. The list of authors and editors is impressive for the entire site, although specifically, who wrote this article was not provided, and it appears to have been last updated in 2010.

The coverage of the Newfoundland contribution to the Battle of Somme was highly detailed only on the Government of Newfoundland produced site. A single reference; “At Beaumont-Hamel, the 1st Battalion of the Newfoundland Regiment, part of the 29th British Division, lost two-thirds of its entire strength in about an hour's exposure to German artillery and machine guns. July 1 in Newfoundland is still a day of commemoration and mourning.” was found in the Veterans Affairs account, and no mention of Newfoundland soldiers was specifically referenced was in the Museum article. GOOD

The two articles produced by the Governments of Newfoundland and Canada were comprehensive and covered a great deal of the battle; the article by the Museum could have been more aptly entitled “The Creeping Barrage”. It provided a very brief introduction to the battle and then describes how Canadians introduced a “new” battle technique to the Western Front. This article does not provide the background that the technique was