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William Marshall, a member of the Accrington Pals battalion, describes being left alone and wounded after coming under heavy German fire during 'the Big Push' at the Battle of the Somme on 1 July 1916. An allied artillery bombardment was meant to have destroyed all resistance. But the Germans were well armed and well dug-in. and in less than 30 minutes more than 580 of the 720 Accrington Pals were killed, injured or missing in action. International correspondent Lyse Doucet picks up his story.

William Marshall's experiences were recorded for the North West Sound Archive in the years after World War One. The sound effects have been created by sound engineers at the Glasgow School of Art.

Image: 1 July 1916: British troops climbing from their trench on the first day of 'The Big Push' on the Somme during World War One. Credit: Morgan-Wells/Hulton Archive/Getty Images