On 24th august 1916 a young officer, havilland le mesurier, was killed on the somme, whilst leading his platoon into action. He was 22 years old. The young subaltern was an oxford scholar with a promising future, evidenced by his prolific output of essays and letters from the trenches. He wrote with insight, and an understanding of the human condition, which belied his years. He left a legacy that is as relevant now as it was in the beginning of the last century. Letters from france uses letters and essays as a pivotal commentary to the historical events, from the assassination in sarajevo, through the fateful battle of the somme some two years later. Besides the essential writings of havilland le mesurier the programme also benefits from unique original and comprehensive archive material, and the result is an emotive yet factual account of a war which, in so many ways, is representative of man s conflict throughout history. Running time 56 minutes region region 2 release date 26 jan. 2015