 While Verdun would bite deep in the national consciousness of France for generations, the Somme would have the same effect on generations of Britons.The battle is best remembered for its first day, 1 July 1916, on which the British suffered 57,420 casualties, including 19,240 dead—the bloodiest day in the history of the British Army to this day.As terrible as the battle was for the British Empire troops who suffered there, it naturally affected the other nationalities as well.