Friday, July 1st marks the 100th anniversary of the bloody first day of the Battle of the Somme.

The British photographer Mark Power (1959) worked in Peacehaven, a small town on the south coast of England. founded in 1916 as part of the British government’s ‘homes fit for heroes’ campaign, it was hoped that this seaside arcadia would become a place where traumatized war veterans could
build new lives. Following the Battle of the Somme that same year, 40% of casualties were considered shell-shocked, resulting in concern about an epidemic of psychiatric disorders.

Indeed, even ten years after the end of the war there were still 65,000 British veterans receiving treatment. ‘I tried to create an atmosphere of unease amongst the sleepy bungalows of the town, where a fleeting glimpse or an unexpected sound might spark nightmarish memories of a life best forgotten.’

<a href='http://pro.magnumphotos.com/C.aspx?VP3=SearchResult&ALID=2K1HRG6NAZLT' target='_blank'>Click here</a> to access the images for licensing request and lightbox editing.

This story is part of a group Magnum project, <a href='http://pro.magnumphotos.com/Package/2K1HRG6NA1RL' target='_blank'>The First World War Now</a>.