What was the name of the battle in France where J.R.R. Tolkien served during World War I?

J.R.R. Tolkien served during the Battle of the Somme in France during World War I.

Tolkien was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Lancashire Fusiliers and arrived on the Western Front in 1916. He served as a signals officer during the Somme offensive, one of the war’s largest and bloodiest campaigns. The battle began on 1 July 1916 and continued until November.

Tolkien became ill with trench fever in October 1916 and was sent back to England. Most of the officers in his battalion were killed, an experience that deeply affected him. It is too simple to claim that Middle-earth is a direct allegory of the First World War, because Tolkien rejected straightforward allegorical readings. However, his wartime experiences clearly contributed to the emotional and historical atmosphere of later stories.