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Battle of the Somme centenary commemorations – live Battle of the Somme centenary commemorations – live
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Manchester fell silent to mark a century since the start of the Battle of the Somme, the Press Association reports. Among the 60,000 casualties suffered on July 1 were friends, neighbours and workmates in towns and cities across Britain - particularly the North - who volunteered for the Pals battalions.
Thousands of men responded to the call of the iconic Lord Kitchener Wants You poster at a time before conscription was introduced. Many of the Pals were involved in their first major action on that fateful first day of the First World War battle.
One hundred years on, thousands gathered in the city centre on Friday to pay their respects as Manchester hosted a series of commemorative events on behalf of the nation. A short service at the Cenotaph in St Peter’s Square started proceedings, which will culminate with an evening concert in Heaton Park which was used as a training camp for soldiers before they were sent to the trenches.
The Bishop of Manchester, the Rt Rev David Walker, who led the service, said:
We remember those whose names are inscribed on the hearts of those whom they left behind as they departed for the battlefield. Names inscribed on memorials in this and many lands, names for whom there is no memorial, names of those known only to yourself, O Lord God.
We represent today the many peoples and creeds that were ensnared in this deadliest of conflicts that took more than a million lives from 50 nations.
We pledge ourselves afresh today to work for a world where justice, peace and mercy will be sovereign - and war shall be no more.
The Last Post was played followed by the firing of a gun to mark a two-minute silence from 1.38pm. Wreaths were laid by the Lord Lieutenant of Greater Manchester, Warren Smith, representing the Queen, Chancellor George Osborne and the Lord Mayor of Manchester, Carl Austin-Behan, before they viewed a march past in nearby Albert Square.
The 1,000-strong parade led by a 32-piece band from the King’s Regiment involved serving military personnel, regimental associations, various Royal British Legion branches and descendants of those who fought at the Somme.
The parade made its way past the town hall on to John Dalton Street and along Deansgate to loud applause from onlookers.
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Henry McDonald
An Irish government minister joined the Lord Mayor of Belfast at City Hall to lay wreaths at the war memorial.
In the new spirit of cross-border co-operation and Anglo-Irish relations, Dublin Cabinet Minister Leo Vradkar laid a wreath at the memorial in Belfast city centre.
Meanwhile in Dublin at the national military memorial the Irish Defence Forces joined members of the British Legion to herald in the day at 7.30am.
The attendance of Minister Vradkar at Belfast City Hall is yet another sign post in the journey the Irish states has taken from the official policy of forgetting about the Irish who fought in British regiments in both world wars to the acknowledgement of their sacrifices.
All this is directly connected to the peace process in Northern Ireland over the last 25 years ushering in a new era of good relationships north and south, and on both sides of the Irish Sea.
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A centenary event is now being held at Manchester Cathedral. You can watch a live broadcast on BBC News.
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The national archives, the official archive of the UK government, has today announced that its unit war diaries for the Western Front (WO 95) have now been digitised. For the first time you can research every diary, including all that relate to the Somme, and download online.
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Men dressed as soldiers appeared in cities, towns and villages in a poignant memorial to those killed in the first world war battle, Charlotte Higgins reports.
Waterloo station, London: 8am. “I’m here, under the big clock,” said a man into his phone. So were about 20 young men, immediately conspicuous because they were dressed in the various dull-green uniforms of the first world war: boots and puttees; highland dress; flared breeches. They were just there: not speaking, not even moving very much. Waiting, expressionless, for who knows what. A small crowd started to gather, taking photographs. A woman caught the eye of one of the men in uniform. She tried to speak to him. He looked into her eyes and, without speaking, pulled a small card out of his pocket and handed it to her. “Lance Corporal John Arthur Green,” it read. “1st/9th Battalion, London Regiment (Queen Victoria’s Rifles). Died at the Somme on 1 July 1916. Aged 24 years.”
You can read the full piece below.
Related: #Wearehere: Battle of the Somme tribute acted out across Britain
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Rachel Obordo
Tending to the wounded, Ruby Chapman (née Cockburn) worked as a British Red Cross service nurse on the No 16 ambulance train which collected men from the frontline.
The train was fitted with wards, kitchens, a dispensary, office, storerooms and accommodation. Ruby worked on the train for six months travelling to and from the casualty clearing stations near the front. Her pay throughout the war was £1 1s 0d a week, which is roughly £370 in today’s money.
Working on an ambulance train was hard work and there was a high illness rate among the personnel. The train often travelled at a snail’s pace. Air raids were frequent and the windows blew in with the force of the explosions.
Coping with large amounts of wounded men on the move made work incredibly intense. When not needed Royal Army Medical Corps staff sometimes went on long walks or played cricket and football with teams from other trains. Unlike military nurses, Red Cross nurses were allowed a degree of freedom when it came to mixing with men. Sometimes personnel returned to find the train no longer in the sidings and had to hitch a ride to get back on board.
In June 1918 No 16 train was hit by a bomb during a heavy raid in Etaples and it caught fire but luckily nobody was killed or badly injured.
In 1918 Ruby was awarded a Royal Red Cross second class. After the war she married Lt Philip Chapman in June 1919 and they moved to Yorkshire. Ruby was widowed in 1923 and moved south to support her young daughter. She died in the late 1960s surrounded by family in Bournemouth.
You can share your photos and stories with us via GuardianWitness or by clicking on the ‘Contribute’ button at the top of the live blog.
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Prince William also gave an address written by Birdsong novelist Sebastian Faulks for the occasion. Below is a segment:
By the end of the first of July the British Army had sustained almost 60,000 casualties, of whom nearly one third had died. We lost the flower of a generation; and in the years to come it sometimes seemed that with them a sense of vital optimism had disappeared for ever from British life. It was in many ways the saddest day in the long story of our nation.
Tonight we think of them as they nerved themselves for what lay ahead. We acknowledge the failures of European governments, including our own, to prevent the catastrophe of world war. We offer our humblest respects to each man who fought in the Battle of the Somme, from every corner of the British Isles and from across the Commonwealth. We honour those whose names are recorded on this memorial – more than 72,000 who have no known grave – and to those who lie buried in Commonwealth War cemeteries.
And tonight, we stand here with a promise to those men: we will remember you. The gift you gave your country is treasured by every one of us this day. The sacrifice you made will never, ever be forgotten.
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At Thiepval earlier, one of the pieces of music, called The Lads in Their Hundreds by A.E. Housman, was performed by Samuel Boden. The piece was composed by Lieutenant George Butterworth and goes:At Thiepval earlier, one of the pieces of music, called The Lads in Their Hundreds by A.E. Housman, was performed by Samuel Boden. The piece was composed by Lieutenant George Butterworth and goes:
The lads in their hundreds to Ludlow come in for the fair, There’s men from the barn and the forge and the mill and the fold, The lads for the girls and the lads for the liquor are there, And there with the rest are the lads that will never be old.The lads in their hundreds to Ludlow come in for the fair, There’s men from the barn and the forge and the mill and the fold, The lads for the girls and the lads for the liquor are there, And there with the rest are the lads that will never be old.
There’s chaps from the town and the field and the till and the cart, And many to count are the stalwart, and many the brave, And many the handsome of face and the handsome of heart, And few that will carry their looks or their truth to the grave.There’s chaps from the town and the field and the till and the cart, And many to count are the stalwart, and many the brave, And many the handsome of face and the handsome of heart, And few that will carry their looks or their truth to the grave.
I wish one could know them, I wish there were tokens to tell The fortunate fellows that now you can never discern; And then one could talk with them friendly and wish them farewell And watch them depart on the way that they will not return.I wish one could know them, I wish there were tokens to tell The fortunate fellows that now you can never discern; And then one could talk with them friendly and wish them farewell And watch them depart on the way that they will not return.
But now you may stare as you like and there’s nothing to scan; And brushing your elbow unguessed-at and not to be told They carry back bright to the coiner the mintage of man, The lads that will die in their glory and never be old.But now you may stare as you like and there’s nothing to scan; And brushing your elbow unguessed-at and not to be told They carry back bright to the coiner the mintage of man, The lads that will die in their glory and never be old.
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Henry McDonaldHenry McDonald
Arlene Foster, Northern Ireland’s First Minister, has revealed that her husband’s great-uncle was wounded at the Somme but survived that battle. Foster who is in Northern France today for the official commemoration on the battlefield told the Belfast Telegraph this morning that Sgt Robert Devers was sent back home to Ulster after his wounds on the Somme. However, the First Minister points out, Sgt Devers insisted on returning to fight in France and killed in action on 29 January 1918. Arlene Foster, Northern Ireland’s first minister, has revealed that her husband’s great-uncle was wounded at the Somme but survived the battle. Foster, who is in northern France today for the official commemoration on the battlefield, told the Belfast Telegraph this morning that Sgt Robert Devers was sent back home to Ulster after being wounded. However, Foster said he insisted on returning to fight in France and was killed in action on 29 January 1918.
The First Minister said: “While I will be at the Somme today, representing the people of Northern Ireland, I will also be there to remember a family member and an individual, who - like so many others - went over the top on that fateful day a century ago. Foster said: “While I will be at the Somme today, representing the people of Northern Ireland, I will also be there to remember a family member and an individual, who – like so many others – went over the top on that fateful day a century ago.
“While the name of my husband’s great-uncle appears on a headstone in Lisnaskea, like so many others, his body rests in France.” “While the name of my husband’s great uncle appears on a headstone in Lisnaskea, like so many others, his body rests in France.”
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Henry McDonaldHenry McDonald
Meanwhile back in Belfast the residents in and around Tower Street have transformed the area into a battlefield scenario.Meanwhile back in Belfast the residents in and around Tower Street have transformed the area into a battlefield scenario.
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Here is how the Guardian and Observer originally reported the Battle of the Somme a century ago.Here is how the Guardian and Observer originally reported the Battle of the Somme a century ago.
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Shane Hughes, a reader, has written in with a remarkable family coincidence involving the Battle of the Somme. Hughes said he discovered that his mother’s uncle, Lt John S Dagg, and his father’s uncle, Pt James Douglas Hughes, both fought in the 2nd Battalion Auckland Regiment of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force.Shane Hughes, a reader, has written in with a remarkable family coincidence involving the Battle of the Somme. Hughes said he discovered that his mother’s uncle, Lt John S Dagg, and his father’s uncle, Pt James Douglas Hughes, both fought in the 2nd Battalion Auckland Regiment of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force.
Whilst we’ve no idea whether they knew each other or not, they were both killed on the same day, in the same battle on 15 September 1916 at Longueval.Whilst we’ve no idea whether they knew each other or not, they were both killed on the same day, in the same battle on 15 September 1916 at Longueval.
Both soldiers’ names are inscribed in the wall at the Caterpillar Valley cemetery as having graves ‘known only unto God’. Yet John Dagg’s headstone is one of the 300 allied soldiers buried at Thiepval. We can only assume his body was found some years later but how he managed to be selected for burial at the Thiepval memorial is a mystery.Both soldiers’ names are inscribed in the wall at the Caterpillar Valley cemetery as having graves ‘known only unto God’. Yet John Dagg’s headstone is one of the 300 allied soldiers buried at Thiepval. We can only assume his body was found some years later but how he managed to be selected for burial at the Thiepval memorial is a mystery.
Of course we can’t help but think of the possibility my mum’s uncle sent my dad’s uncle over the top only for the pair of them to perish that same day. Another soldier reported later that he saw James fall suddenly as if he had been shot but his body was never found. Fortunately there were enough Daggs and Hugheses left to enable my mum and dad to be created, meet, marry and carry on the family line. They remain in New Zealand to this day.Of course we can’t help but think of the possibility my mum’s uncle sent my dad’s uncle over the top only for the pair of them to perish that same day. Another soldier reported later that he saw James fall suddenly as if he had been shot but his body was never found. Fortunately there were enough Daggs and Hugheses left to enable my mum and dad to be created, meet, marry and carry on the family line. They remain in New Zealand to this day.
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James MeikleJames Meikle
There is a pacifist view of the importance of the Battle of the Somme. It started just four months after conscription was introduced in the UK for most single men between 18 and 40.There is a pacifist view of the importance of the Battle of the Somme. It started just four months after conscription was introduced in the UK for most single men between 18 and 40.
Conscripts did not fight at the battle, they were still being trained, but Symon Hill, coordinator of the Peace Pledge Union (PPU) said: “The generals knew that the conscripts would soon be arriving at the front and thus they could ‘afford’ the deaths of British soldiers as they would soon be replaced.”Conscripts did not fight at the battle, they were still being trained, but Symon Hill, coordinator of the Peace Pledge Union (PPU) said: “The generals knew that the conscripts would soon be arriving at the front and thus they could ‘afford’ the deaths of British soldiers as they would soon be replaced.”
The Somme, Hill argued, is therefore inseparable from resistance to conscription and comprehensive objection. Most who applied for exemption as conscientious objectors were denied. In spring 1916, 35 were sent to France “in what appears to have been an attempt to break the resistance”. They still refused to obey orders and punishment for that was execution.The Somme, Hill argued, is therefore inseparable from resistance to conscription and comprehensive objection. Most who applied for exemption as conscientious objectors were denied. In spring 1916, 35 were sent to France “in what appears to have been an attempt to break the resistance”. They still refused to obey orders and punishment for that was execution.
They were court martialled and between 15 and 30 June, death sentences were handed down to all. But lobbying by anti-war activists and others in Britain helped get these commuted to 10 years’ imprisonment.They were court martialled and between 15 and 30 June, death sentences were handed down to all. But lobbying by anti-war activists and others in Britain helped get these commuted to 10 years’ imprisonment.
Howard Marten, a Quaker bank clerk, was the first to be sentenced. His description of events appears in the White Feather Diaries, a four-year online project serialising the experiences of conscientious objectors being run by the Quakers in Britain. Remembering his sentencing in a newspaper interview nearly 50 years later, now stored in the Imperial War Museum, Marten told how an officer had read out his death sentence.Howard Marten, a Quaker bank clerk, was the first to be sentenced. His description of events appears in the White Feather Diaries, a four-year online project serialising the experiences of conscientious objectors being run by the Quakers in Britain. Remembering his sentencing in a newspaper interview nearly 50 years later, now stored in the Imperial War Museum, Marten told how an officer had read out his death sentence.
“There was a pause and one thought, ‘Well, that’s that.’ And then ‘confirmed by the commander in chief’. That’s double-sealed it now. Then, another long pause and, ‘but subsequently commuted to penal servitude for 10 years.’”“There was a pause and one thought, ‘Well, that’s that.’ And then ‘confirmed by the commander in chief’. That’s double-sealed it now. Then, another long pause and, ‘but subsequently commuted to penal servitude for 10 years.’”
The battle on the Somme had started by the time the men were sent back to Britain to serve their sentences. Bert Brocklesby, a teacher from Yorkshire sentenced on 24 June and transported with others later, remembered: “We hugged each other and rejoiced at leaving that land of death behind.The battle on the Somme had started by the time the men were sent back to Britain to serve their sentences. Bert Brocklesby, a teacher from Yorkshire sentenced on 24 June and transported with others later, remembered: “We hugged each other and rejoiced at leaving that land of death behind.
“How much a land of death we were to learn later; about the time we were in Rouen military prison, one of the bloodiest battles of all history, the battle of the Somme, had been fought.”“How much a land of death we were to learn later; about the time we were in Rouen military prison, one of the bloodiest battles of all history, the battle of the Somme, had been fought.”
Alfred Evans, a piano tuner, was the last of the original 35 objectors to be sentenced – on 30 June, the day before the battle started.Alfred Evans, a piano tuner, was the last of the original 35 objectors to be sentenced – on 30 June, the day before the battle started.
All the conscientious objectors were released in 1919.All the conscientious objectors were released in 1919.
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Henry McDonaldHenry McDonald
Year 10 pupils from Bangor grammar school in Northern Ireland were ready to lay wreaths at the Somme today. The school is twinned with the Lycée Thuillier in Amiens, and the Bangor students joined their French counterparts on the old battlefield.Year 10 pupils from Bangor grammar school in Northern Ireland were ready to lay wreaths at the Somme today. The school is twinned with the Lycée Thuillier in Amiens, and the Bangor students joined their French counterparts on the old battlefield.
The County Down school has a strong connection with the first world war, as 37 of its former students were killed in the conflict. The students are in northern France today with the support of the British Council.The County Down school has a strong connection with the first world war, as 37 of its former students were killed in the conflict. The students are in northern France today with the support of the British Council.
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Esther AddleyEsther Addley
Surgeon-Major George Hayes survived the horrors of the Somme but never recovered from what he had seen on the western front, according to his granddaughter Marianne Palmer-Smith.Surgeon-Major George Hayes survived the horrors of the Somme but never recovered from what he had seen on the western front, according to his granddaughter Marianne Palmer-Smith.
Hayes was an Anglo-Indian and a professional soldier-surgeon. Though his own diaries of the war years were lost in a family move, Palmer-Smith has her grandmother’s diaries of the time, addressed to her father, then a small boy, with the words: “I’m going to put the details down for you, my darling John. I want you to know in your afterlife that your father was one of the trench heroes in this awful war.”Hayes was an Anglo-Indian and a professional soldier-surgeon. Though his own diaries of the war years were lost in a family move, Palmer-Smith has her grandmother’s diaries of the time, addressed to her father, then a small boy, with the words: “I’m going to put the details down for you, my darling John. I want you to know in your afterlife that your father was one of the trench heroes in this awful war.”
As an experienced officer of almost 30 when the war began, Hayes was asked to run a field hospital near Passchendaele and Ypres, before moving south to the Somme valley. He had already been sent home after suffering shell concussion in 1915, returning to France late in the spring of 1916.As an experienced officer of almost 30 when the war began, Hayes was asked to run a field hospital near Passchendaele and Ypres, before moving south to the Somme valley. He had already been sent home after suffering shell concussion in 1915, returning to France late in the spring of 1916.
Palmer-Smith knows nothing of her grandfather’s experiences on 1 July. He never spoke of his war experiences. From testimonials of other soldiers, however, she knows he would insist on going out to the front in the field ambulances, praying that the Germans would recognise the red cross on the side and spare them, because, as her grandmother recorded, “he did not believe in asking a man to do what he would not do”. On the first day of the Somme, Hayes would have spent exhausting hours trying to do what little he could for those who survived the fighting, said his granddaughter. “It must have been hell on earth. You cannot imagine what it was like.”Palmer-Smith knows nothing of her grandfather’s experiences on 1 July. He never spoke of his war experiences. From testimonials of other soldiers, however, she knows he would insist on going out to the front in the field ambulances, praying that the Germans would recognise the red cross on the side and spare them, because, as her grandmother recorded, “he did not believe in asking a man to do what he would not do”. On the first day of the Somme, Hayes would have spent exhausting hours trying to do what little he could for those who survived the fighting, said his granddaughter. “It must have been hell on earth. You cannot imagine what it was like.”
He survived a second shell concussion later in the war but was never himself again, said Palmer-Smith, who has a heartbreaking collection of letters written by her young father, who had been sent away to Sussex with a nanny, asking plaintively, “Is daddie well again?”He survived a second shell concussion later in the war but was never himself again, said Palmer-Smith, who has a heartbreaking collection of letters written by her young father, who had been sent away to Sussex with a nanny, asking plaintively, “Is daddie well again?”
After the war, the family moved to South Africa, then the south of France, Jersey, and finally Guernsey, but Hayes found no peace, and twice tried to take his own life. After taking comfort in whisky, he died aged 52.After the war, the family moved to South Africa, then the south of France, Jersey, and finally Guernsey, but Hayes found no peace, and twice tried to take his own life. After taking comfort in whisky, he died aged 52.
Among Palmer-Smith’s prized possessions is her grandfather’s cigarette case, which he always carried with him in his top pocket during the war, and which still contains some of his favourite Craven A cigarettes. “When you open it,” she said, “it’s like going back in time.” It also holds a letter from the doctor’s two sisters in India, and a small photograph of his young son John, stained and crumpled from being held many times.Among Palmer-Smith’s prized possessions is her grandfather’s cigarette case, which he always carried with him in his top pocket during the war, and which still contains some of his favourite Craven A cigarettes. “When you open it,” she said, “it’s like going back in time.” It also holds a letter from the doctor’s two sisters in India, and a small photograph of his young son John, stained and crumpled from being held many times.
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James MeikleJames Meikle
Nine VCs were awarded for heroism among British armed forces on the first day of the Battle of the Somme. They included four Ulstermen.Nine VCs were awarded for heroism among British armed forces on the first day of the Battle of the Somme. They included four Ulstermen.
Over 5,500 men of the the 37th Ulster Division that day were killed or wounded. The division was a rare part of the British army to reach its objectives early on. By 8am, its troops had reached part of the battlefield called the Schwaben redoubt and taken over 400 German prisoners. But forces elsewhere faltered, leaving the division cut off and exposed to ferocious German counter-attacks which forced its troops to abandon the position and retreat.Over 5,500 men of the the 37th Ulster Division that day were killed or wounded. The division was a rare part of the British army to reach its objectives early on. By 8am, its troops had reached part of the battlefield called the Schwaben redoubt and taken over 400 German prisoners. But forces elsewhere faltered, leaving the division cut off and exposed to ferocious German counter-attacks which forced its troops to abandon the position and retreat.
The whole island of Ireland was then British – and more than 200,000 men are thought to have served in the British army during the first world war, even though conscription was never introduced there. About 35,000 of them, Protestant and Catholic, unionist and nationalist, died in the war.The whole island of Ireland was then British – and more than 200,000 men are thought to have served in the British army during the first world war, even though conscription was never introduced there. About 35,000 of them, Protestant and Catholic, unionist and nationalist, died in the war.
It is worth remembering that the Somme battle started just a few weeks after the Easter Rising in Dublin on 24 April 1916. The attack on the first day involved 13 Commonwealth divisions supported by a French attack to the south. Despite seven days of preliminary bombardment, there was little damage to German defences and losses were catastrophic.It is worth remembering that the Somme battle started just a few weeks after the Easter Rising in Dublin on 24 April 1916. The attack on the first day involved 13 Commonwealth divisions supported by a French attack to the south. Despite seven days of preliminary bombardment, there was little damage to German defences and losses were catastrophic.
The memorial at Thiepval bears the names of more than 72,000 British and South African soldiers killed mostly during the battle, but also up to March 1918, who have no marked grave.The memorial at Thiepval bears the names of more than 72,000 British and South African soldiers killed mostly during the battle, but also up to March 1918, who have no marked grave.
The Thiepval memorial was built between 1928 and 1932, and designed by the architecht Sir Edwin Lutyens.The Thiepval memorial was built between 1928 and 1932, and designed by the architecht Sir Edwin Lutyens.
There is also small cemetery at at the foot of the memorial containing equal numbers of graves of Commonwealth and French troops.There is also small cemetery at at the foot of the memorial containing equal numbers of graves of Commonwealth and French troops.
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The service at Thiepval has been incredibly moving for a lot of viewers, who have expressed their mood on Twitter.
Abide with me...beautiful rendition at The Centenary Of the Battle of the Somme #Thiepval @BBCOne pic.twitter.com/EPwhdpUSYO
The live BBC news coverage from Thiepval has broken me.
Absolutely incredible service at the Thiepval memorial. Stirring stuff #Somme100
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The Press Association reports:
The Northern Ireland secretary, Theresa Villiers will attend the Ulster Tower ceremony this afternoon with the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester. Northern Ireland’s first minister, Arlene Foster, will represent the Stormont executive. The Irish government will be represented by Heather Humphreys, minister for regional development, rural affairs, arts & the Gaeltacht.
“Around 35,000 Irishmen – Protestants and Catholics, unionists and nationalists – were killed in the first world war,” Villiers said. “Their contribution and their sacrifice was immense, and we should never forget it.”
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French & British school children marking each of the graves at Thiepval #Somme100 #lestweforget pic.twitter.com/sRUBVkJw2d
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In Scotland, a whistle carried by an officer at the Battle of the Somme was blown by his descendant to commemorate the Scottish soldiers who fought in the Somme. It brought to an end an overnight vigil at the Scottish National War Memorial at Edinburgh Castle to mark the 100th anniversary of the battle.
Thousands of Scots from 51 battalions gave their lives and representatives of regimental associations from across the country gathered at the memorial to respect a two-minute silence at 7.30am - the moment when soldiers were led into battle a century ago.
Prayers were said at the vigil before candles were taken inside the war memorial and placed on a casket containing the original Roll of Honour for the fallen of the First World War. The candles were guarded overnight by representatives from units including the Wrens, the Royal Navy and several Scottish Army regiments, standing by the casket with their heads bowed.
Edinburgh Castle was also floodlit red to mark the anniversary.
Alan Hamilton, who blew his great-uncle’s whistle, said:
My great-uncle Robert Hamilton was an artillery officer at the battle. He was attached to a Scottish unit as an observation officer and he blew this whistle on 1 July at 7.30am 100 years ago to take his men over the top into action.
He went forward with the regiment and, because of the high rate of casualties among the officers, he ended up commanding the regiment until he was wounded and evacuated.
After the war, my father was given the whistle by uncle Robert and he then carried it through the whole of the second world war when he was in the RAF, and when I joined the army he passed it on to me. I carried it for 41 years and my son, who is a corporal in the army, will be getting the whistle once these commemorations are over.
It was quite emotional, the hairs on the back of my neck went up and I thought this was something really special.
It’s a big part of the family, with 100 years of history, and with a bit of luck that will continue on to future generations.
Nicola Sturgeon called for reflection on the “horrors of the Great War” as she attended the remembrance event at Thiepval. She said:
Barely a single community in Scotland was left untouched by the battle. Across Scotland communities are now remembering those who gave their lives, and a whole century on from the devastation and suffering of the Battle of the Somme, we should all reflect on the horrors of the Great War and give thanks that our continent now lives in peace.
The Press Association contributed to this report.
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François Hollande, David Cameron and Prince Charles have all given a reading now.
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12:04
Charles Dance is now reading the poem Aftermath by Siegfried Sassoon. It goes...
Have you forgotten yet?...For the world’s events have rumbled on since those gagged days,Like traffic checked while at the crossing of city-ways:And the haunted gap in your mind has filled with thoughts that flowLike clouds in the lit heaven of life; and you’re a man reprieved to go,Taking your peaceful share of Time, with joy to spare.But the past is just the same--and War’s a bloody game...Have you forgotten yet?...Look down, and swear by the slain of the War that you’ll never forget.Do you remember the dark months you held the sector at Mametz--The nights you watched and wired and dug and piled sandbags on parapets?Do you remember the rats; and the stenchOf corpses rotting in front of the front-line trench--And dawn coming, dirty-white, and chill with a hopeless rain?Do you ever stop and ask, ‘Is it all going to happen again?’Do you remember that hour of din before the attack--And the anger, the blind compassion that seized and shook you thenAs you peered at the doomed and haggard faces of your men?Do you remember the stretcher-cases lurching backWith dying eyes and lolling heads--those ashen-greyMasks of the lads who once were keen and kind and gayHave you forgotten yet?...Look up, and swear by the green of the spring that you’ll never forget.
Updated
at 12.39pm BST
11.50am BST
11:50
Richard Norton-Taylor
A newly discovered minute-by-minute eyewitness account of the first day of the battle of the Somme described how British infantrymen were quickly cut down by enemy shells and machine gun fire amid utter confusion while smoke and gas enveloped the ground between the opposing trenches.
The diary of Major Francis Meynell of the disastrous day in which 19,240 British soldiers were killed and more than 38,000 wounded – the bloodiest day in the history of the British army – was uncovered in Staffordshire’s county archives. Meynell, from Burton-upon-Trent, was stationed at the northern end of the battlefield where the 137th Staffordshire Brigade attacked the German-held village of Gommecourt.
The 1/6th North Staffords and 1/6th South Staffords formed part of the brigade and were in the first wave of attacks on 1 July 1916. Of the 523 officers and men of the 1/6th South Staffords, 239 were killed, wounded, or were missing. The 1/6th North Staffords lost 170 officers and men of whom 126 were never found.
On the day of the attack, Meynell kept a diary of events as they unfolded from his position in a cellar in the nearby village of Foncquevillers.
Meynell wrote his first entry at 6.25am. It simply read “bombardment begins”. By 6.47am, he noted “the drift of shell smoke” obscuring important landmarks. At 4.34pm, after 10 hours of battle, Meynell reported: “First absolute silence of 20 seconds since 6.50am.”
6.53am: B.232 (O.P.[observation post] reported “Observation poor. Enemy shelling frontline with whizzbangs and crumps. Two 5.9. shells just fallen in front of battery.”
7.15am: C.232 [an observation post] could not tell me the direction enemy fire was coming from.
7.33am: We tried to get in touch with Right F.O.O. [forward observation officer] and Battalion Liaison Officer, but were unable to get any reply.
7.45am: A.232 (O.P.) reported that enfilade gun in ORCHARD (HANNESCAMP road) was being whizzbanged.
7.46am: Two infantry officers who came into HQ reported that there appeared to be more heavy enemy guns in action than on any previous occasion
7.52am: Out of communication with R battalion on artillery wire.
7.56am: Out of communication with L battalion on artillery wire.
8.08am: The orchard was reported as being shelled by 4.2 and 5.9.
8.11am: The 139th Bde Major reported that most of the infantry casualties were being caused by a machine gun on their right.
8.55am: Lt. Villa of 5th batt. Came in to HQ and reported that he had got into enemy first line which he found to be very strongly held. He was wounded in arm and in a bad way. He told us that the enemy came out of their dug outs after the first waves had passed over.
9.35am: Col. Goodman reported, “Things have gone badly. Scott (M.O.? [medical officer]) says first two waves started, but 3 and 4 were cut down before they got to first line as smoke apparently thinned.”
10.36am: The information at this time 3 hours and 6 minutes after 0.0. [ie zero hour] seemed very conflicting and no conclusion as to what had actually happened could be come to.
1.12pm: C.232 (O.P.) reported “Fancy infantry seen moving between little Z towards big Z. Cannot say for certain whether hostile or friendly. Could we say for certain.” We reported had no knowledge.
1.15pm: C.232 (O.P.) reported they thought above were English.
4.34pm: First absolute silence of 20 secs since 6.05am
5.15pm: Bdr. Hale and Gr. Richards, A.323 battery, two of Lt. Clarke’s party came to report themselves to me. Their account was as follows: - Just before the attack started they were both put out of action by gas shells....They discovered the wire smashed to atoms for some distance. The reels of wire having been taken over by Lt. Clarke they returned to the battery, procured some more and went down again to the sap head to relay the missing part. Meeting with much difficulty in carrying out the work because of snipers and realizing the impossibility of getting across they decided to return and report to their battery commander who sent them to me. These men appear to have behaved extremely well under great difficulties. This is the second time that Gr. Richards has proved his excellence and courage as a wire-man.
9.52pm: C.232 (O.P.) reported, “Bombing seen and heard in German second line also flashes and smoke.” Further orders for the artillery in connection with the proposed attack in the evening...The proposed attack was not successful.
Gill Heath, a Staffordshire councillor responsible for the county’s first world war commemorations, said: “Meynell’s diary was a really exciting discovery for our archives staff and gives us a frightening insight into how things unfolded on that terrible day. Publishing the diary for the first time is all part of our plans to commemorate the centenary of the Great War and highlight Staffordshire’s many contributions.”
Updated
at 12.17pm BST
11.36am BST
11:36
This was the reading by Sol Campbell.
Reading by Sol Campbell about former Clapton Orient (now Leyton O) player Willie Jonas #Somme100 pic.twitter.com/yCr8rexA5y
11.33am BST
11:33
Rachel Obordo
As letters are being read out at Thiepval (currently actor Jason Isaacs is narrating the proceedings), readers are sending in their own stories.
Harry Norman Snape, born in 1893, was a prisoner of war after being captured at the battle of Trônes Wood. He wrote many letters during his time at the front until his capture on 10 July 1916. One of them, dated 20 June, refers to “the day”, which was to become the first day of the battle of the Somme:
We are training for ‘The Day’. We are only here for a day or two and then back. I can’t say when it’ll come off but when it does I think that we all shall be ready. Honestly, kid, I am going to try and do something. Nothing rash of course but I’m going to have a good try for honours. There are three of us here pals together, Clem Nixon, a chap we call ‘Ginger’ (H Rogers) & myself. The aforesaid Ginger is in for a Military Medal for attending the wounded under shell fire … This is the last letter I can write for a bit for post is stopped from here after tonight.
Best Love Harry.
Don’t worry. I shall be A1.
Love to all.
A few days later Harry’s battalion assembled in Maricourt, just west of Trônes Wood, as part of a strategic offensive to capture the village of Guillemont. Although they crossed the first 200 yards of no man’s land without incident, they encountered heavy shell fire from the Germans.
The Germans retaliated and Trônes Wood came under heavy bombardment. The allied troops found themselves locked in and were eventually bombed out. All were killed or, as in the case of Harry Snape, captured. Over 200 men were missing after the battle of Trônes Wood.
Due to wounds on his hands and wrist Harry was in hospital before being transferred to the POW camp in Hammelburg. He continued to write during his time there until his release and subsequent return home.You can share your photos and stories with us via GuardianWitness or by clicking on the “Contribute” button at the top of the live blog.
Updated
at 12.10pm BST