1916 was a momentous year for the progress of the war. The Battle of the Somme looms large in the public consciousness due to the appalling numbers of lives lost.  This year marks its 110th anniversary. The year also saw the introduction of conscription, a new Commander-in-Chief of the British army on the western front and intensified food shortages and blackouts with the constant fear of German air raids at home. 

My walk takes in the war memorials and important sites in Whitehall and around St James’s Park to tell the story of these events. I also take in some of the history of St James’s park, the first and one of the finest London Royal Parks.