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Battle of the Somme centenary commemorations – live Battle of the Somme centenary commemorations – live
(35 minutes later)
9.49am BST
09:49
Esther Addley
Sidney Dixon was a 19-year-old draughtsman from Grimsby when he signed up in 1914, part of the first wave of Kitchener’s recruits to volunteer. Two years later, he and his fellow members of the 10th battallion The Lincolnshire Regiment – the “Grimsby Chums” – found themselves on the Somme, readying for an attack at the village of La Boisselle.
At 7.28am, two minutes before the scheduled advance, the enormous Lochnagar mine was detonated, supposedly to eliminate the German positions. So vast was that explosion that the hole it blew out in the Flanders soil remains to this day, still 91m wide and 21m deep.
Critically, however, the mine had been placed short of the enemy lines, and in the two minutes of calm that followed, the German gunners were able to ready their weapons for the British advance. By the time they were able to fall back, half of the 1,000-strong Chums had been killed, injured or were missing.
Dixon was injured but survived, and on 22 July he wrote to his sister and her husband from hospital. “I am now back with the old Company – at least, what few there are left, so you see I was not seriously wounded. I think I was about as lucky as any who went over on July 1st. What do you say.”
At least the fact the 10th battallion had been “so cut up” would remind people back in Grimsby there was a war on, he wrote. “I am not sure many knew, last time I was at home.” A week after he sent the letter, Dixon died of his injuries.
Dixon also thanks his sister Gerty for sending a photograph of her baby daughter Eileen (“If people say she is like me, I should say that’ll suit”), and today/yesterday, Eileen’s sons will attend the commemoration at the Thiepval monument in his memory.
“My brother and I just felt that we should pay our respects to one of our ancestors who laid down his life for the country,” says Roger Senior, from Harpenden. “We just felt it was something we should do.
“It’s just such a tragedy when you look back to how young these people were. A whole generation was lost.”
Like many in her position, says Senior, his mother never really talked about her uncle, but for the rest of her life she would save clippings from the local paper about the Chums, along with a handful of cherished artefacts.
Among them, as well as Dixon’s war medal, Senior and his brother will be bringing with them with them a tiny bible, just 10cm in size, that was given by their grandparents to the soldier for Christmas 1914, and which they are certain the religious Dixon would have been carrying on the day of the attack. “It says: ‘From Gertie and Ernest, to Sidney with Love.’ It’s a little tattered now but it’s still legible on the cover. And it’s got his name, and Grimsby Battallion 134.”
9.40am BST
09:40
Timeline of the Battle of Somme
This timeline of the Battle of the Somme by the Imperial War Museum is handy.
9.30am BST
09:30
Social media users are tweeting pictures of actors dressed as soldiers handing out cards for the dead men they represent in stations around the country. They are using the hashtag #wearehere.
Moving scenes at Birmingham New Street & Moor Street this morning #wearehere #Somme100 #ww1 pic.twitter.com/dzSzXneoRF
Very moving RT @rosieladkin: Amazing scenes at Bristol Temple Meads this morning. Incredibly moving. #wearehere pic.twitter.com/p8oAenOFbF
Waterloo station 08.30am #wearehere pic.twitter.com/nYsC6zQLec
Extremely moving tribute at @NetworkRailMAN this morning... #Somme100 #wearehere @BBCR1 pic.twitter.com/EsiKAOIpck
9.20am BST
09:20
The Sport Remembers the Somme 1916-2016 campaign is fronted by a number of sporting legends. Here are some statements of support from them:
Sir Nick Faldo MBE, former world golf number one and six times Major Championship winner, said, “The Royal British Sport Remembers effort recognises the athletes who made historic contributions to our nation through service or sacrifice at the Battle of the Somme and during the First World War. It is an honour to represent our sport in salute of the golfers and associated professionals who will forever be remembered for their contribution to our national history through ultimate service to our country.”
Sally Gunnell, Team GB Olympic gold medal winner, said, “During the First World War many Olympic athletes swapped the track and field for the battlefield and made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. I’m proud to represent athletics in The Royal British Legion Sport Remembers campaign and encourage clubs around the country to unite in commemorative events to mark the 100th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme.”
Mike Gatting OBE, former England cricket captain and Middlesex batsman, said, “I am delighted and honoured to represent cricket in the Royal British Legion’s Sport Remembers campaign. Twelve Test cricketers and more than 200 first class players were killed during World War I. Hundreds more, men from big old county grounds to village green clubs all over Britain, fought and survived. At the Somme 100 years ago, two English Test stars were killed: Yorkshire’s Major Booth and Kent’s Ken Hutchings. I find it humbling that so many players of the game I love sacrificed so much for their country. I would urge anyone connected with a cricket team or club to join the Legion’s campaign and organise a commemorative event to mark the 100th anniversary of the Somme. Let’s remember the cricketing soldiers who fought and died.”
Josh Lewsey MBE, World Cup-winning England rugby player and former Royal Artillery officer, said, “I am humbled and honoured to help commemorate these players and soldiers by representing rugby in the Royal British Legion Sport Remembers campaign. Many of these players fought and some of them died at the Somme, including the extraordinary Edgar Mobbs who, because of his age, was turned down for commission so joined up as a private and raised a company of rugby fans and players that became known as Mobbs’s Own. I would appeal to anyone who wishes to mark their strivings and their sacrifices to join the Legion’s Sport Remembers campaign and hold their own event to remember the Somme.”
Peter Shilton OBE, former goalkeeper who is England’s most-capped player with 125 appearances and played a world-record 1,390 competitive games: “I am proud to represent football in the Royal British Legion Sport Remembers campaign. We sometimes like to think otherwise, but football is only a game. And it pales into insignificance compared with some of the deeds and sacrifices of the men who fought 100 years ago at the Somme. In 1914, whole battalions were formed by professional footballers who inspired hundreds of fans and other sportsmen to join up to fight alongside them. One man who brilliantly used the game to inspire his men was 2nd Lieutenant Wilfred Nevill. A multi-talented sportsman himself, he knew how important football was to them. And to divert the men’s minds from the terrors of the first day of the Somme, he bought two footballs and had his men kick and pass them across no man’s land as they advanced. Nevill himself was killed in the attack on July 1, 1916. But his actions made news all over the world and were an inspiration to many at home and at the front.”
Updated
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9.17am BST9.17am BST
09:1709:17
The Royal British Legion has called on Britain’s sporting organisations, associations, clubs, teams and individuals to commemorate the role played by sportsmen at the Battle of the Somme. The campaign, called Sport Remembers the Somme 1916-2016, is being launched off the back of 100 Sportsmen of the Somme stories, which have been produced and released for free online by the charity in an effort to inspire the nation’s professional and amateur sporting organisations and individuals to unite in Remembrance. In a press release, the charity said:The Royal British Legion has called on Britain’s sporting organisations, associations, clubs, teams and individuals to commemorate the role played by sportsmen at the Battle of the Somme. The campaign, called Sport Remembers the Somme 1916-2016, is being launched off the back of 100 Sportsmen of the Somme stories, which have been produced and released for free online by the charity in an effort to inspire the nation’s professional and amateur sporting organisations and individuals to unite in Remembrance. In a press release, the charity said:
The Battle of the Somme, which ran from 01 July – 18 November 1916, was one of the most difficult and costly battles of the First World War. To aid the war effort, virtually all professional sport had been suspended for the duration by the time the Battle of the Somme began. Athletes and players from sports at all levels had volunteered to enlist – sometimes en masse as an entire team and its supporters. There were battalions that included significant numbers of athletes, footballers, and individual members of clubs and teams. Many other players – from first class cricketers to amateur boxers – served in Pals Battalions recruited from towns, villages, schools, workplaces and trades. When these battalions suffered losses, as they did mostly at the Somme, the impact was felt at the club and community level.The Battle of the Somme, which ran from 01 July – 18 November 1916, was one of the most difficult and costly battles of the First World War. To aid the war effort, virtually all professional sport had been suspended for the duration by the time the Battle of the Somme began. Athletes and players from sports at all levels had volunteered to enlist – sometimes en masse as an entire team and its supporters. There were battalions that included significant numbers of athletes, footballers, and individual members of clubs and teams. Many other players – from first class cricketers to amateur boxers – served in Pals Battalions recruited from towns, villages, schools, workplaces and trades. When these battalions suffered losses, as they did mostly at the Somme, the impact was felt at the club and community level.
Sportsmen featuring in 100 Sportsmen of the Somme include:Sportsmen featuring in 100 Sportsmen of the Somme include:
The Legion has also released a free Sport Remembers the Somme 1916-2016 toolkit for holding a commemorative event, including a souvenir pennant.The Legion has also released a free Sport Remembers the Somme 1916-2016 toolkit for holding a commemorative event, including a souvenir pennant.
9.02am BST9.02am BST
09:0209:02
My colleagues on visuals have made this map detailing where and when the offences took place.My colleagues on visuals have made this map detailing where and when the offences took place.
UpdatedUpdated
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8.56am BST8.56am BST
08:5608:56
Vigils commemorate the 100th anniversary of the beginning of the Battle of the Somme #Somme100 pic.twitter.com/zfjnkWvFY0Vigils commemorate the 100th anniversary of the beginning of the Battle of the Somme #Somme100 pic.twitter.com/zfjnkWvFY0
8.53am BST8.53am BST
08:5308:53
Here is another picture from Waterloo station this morning, taken by the Guardian’s Maev Kennedy.Here is another picture from Waterloo station this morning, taken by the Guardian’s Maev Kennedy.
8.51am BST8.51am BST
08:5108:51
My colleague Henry McDonald, in Belfast, has written about his great grandfather, William Stewart, who fought in and survived the Somme – but not the war. My colleague Henry McDonald, in Belfast, has written about his great grandfather, William Stewart, who fought in and survived the battle, but not the war.
Exactly one hundred years ago today the 36th Ulster Division sustained 5,500 casualties of which 2,000 died on the first day of the Battle of the Somme. Among those who survived that first wave of slaughter as soldiers drawn from Lord Carson’s army primarily to resist Home Rule - the original Ulster Volunteer Force - went over the top was my great grandfather. Exactly 100 years ago today the 36th Ulster Division sustained 5,500 casualties of which 2,000 died on the first day of the Battle of the Somme. My great-grandfather was among those who survived that first wave of slaughter as soldiers drawn from Lord Carson’s army primarily to resist home rule – the original Ulster Volunteer Force – went over the top.
William Stewart from the Belfast loyalist redoubt of the Shankill Road was 33 years old when he and his comrades charged forward to the German lines on July 1st 1916. William Stewart from the Belfast loyalist redoubt of the Shankill Road was 33 years old when he and his comrades charged forward to the German lines on 1 July 1916.
He managed to escape death or serious injury but his luck on the Western Front was only to last another seven months. In January 1917 William’s battalion were sent into Belgium and the Battle of Ypres. Four hundred men from this 36th battalion including William were caught in a mass German ambush and all were killed. There is a corner of the cemetery at St.Quentin in Ypres with a gravestone with William’s name on it. He managed to escape death or serious injury, but his luck on the western front was only to last another seven months. In January 1917 William’s battalion were sent into Belgium and the Battle of Ypres. Four hundred men from this 36th battalion, including William, were caught in a mass German ambush and all were killed. There is a corner of the cemetery at St Quentin in Ypres with a gravestone with William’s name on it.
William’s story and that of his children and grandchildren illuminates the complex nature of 20th century Irish history and the Great War. One of his daughters Florence later in life ‘crossed the line’ from the Protestant-unionist Shankill to marry a Catholic from the republican Lower Falls district of Belfast. One of her daughters, Florence, my mother would remind us from time to time whenever there were war films or documentaries on television in the 1970s that her grandfather had fought at the Somme. Only recently have some members of the Stewart family gone back to find William’s war grave. Others in the Stewart/McManus/McDonald families during what they call in Ireland, the Decade of Commemorations (from the 1912 Home Rule crisis to Easter 1916 and on to the Irish Civil War) intend to follow their path to William’s graveside. William’s story and that of his children and grandchildren illuminates the complex nature of 20th century Irish history and the Great War. One of his daughters, Florence, later in life “crossed the line” from the Protestant-unionist Shankill to marry a Catholic from the republican Lower Falls district of Belfast. One of her daughters, Florence, my mother, would remind us from time to time, whenever there were war films or documentaries on television in the 1970s, that her grandfather had fought at the Somme.
Only recently have some members of the Stewart family gone back to find William’s war grave. Others in the Stewart/McManus/McDonald families – during what they call in Ireland, the decade of commemorations (from the 1912 home rule crisis to Easter 1916 and on to the Irish civil war) – intend to follow their path to William’s graveside.
Updated
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8.46am BST8.46am BST
08:4608:46
#Somme100 living art memorial at Waterloo station this morning. Really eery and very poignant pic.twitter.com/kbNFV23I9U#Somme100 living art memorial at Waterloo station this morning. Really eery and very poignant pic.twitter.com/kbNFV23I9U
8.30am BST8.30am BST
08:3008:30
Here’s my colleague Henry McDonald, in Belfast, on how today is being marked in Northern Ireland: Here’s my colleague, Henry McDonald, in Belfast, on how today is being marked in Northern Ireland:
At the Queen’s official residence in Northern Ireland, Hillsborough Castle in Co.Down, the 206 (Ulster) Battery of the Royal Artillery have just fired one of their light L118 guns to mark the start of the Battle of the Somme 100 hundred years ago. Of the 19,240 soldiers who fell on this a century ago within 24 hours of the battle almost one tenth were men from the 36th Ulster Division. At the Queen’s official residence in Northern Ireland, Hillsborough Castle in County Down, the 206 (Ulster) Battery of the Royal Artillery have just fired one of their light L118 guns to mark the start of the Battle of the Somme 100 years ago. Of the 19,240 soldiers who fell on this day a century ago within 24 hours of the battle almost one tenth were men from the 36th Ulster Division.
Meanwhile in Belfast all week including this morning residents of the Lower Newtonards Road have been getting a sound of what the bombardment from artillery pieces sounded like on the Somme. A continuous loop of audio tape of real artillery has been played at strategic times of the day close to the loyalist Tower Street area in the east of the city. Each day up until 1 July a local history project has been erected plaques on walls dedicated to each of the residents from the lower end of the Newtonards Road who fought at the Somme. Meanwhile in Belfast all week, including this morning, residents of the Lower Newtonards Road have been getting a sound of what the bombardment sounded like on the Somme. A continuous audio loop of artillery fire has been played at strategic times of the day close to the loyalist Tower Street area in the east of the city. Also, each day up until 1 July a local history project has erected plaques on walls dedicated to each of the residents from the lower end of the Newtonards Road who fought at the Somme.
Later this morning across towns and villages around Northern Ireland there will be a series of marches and ceremonies remembering not only the Ulster but also the overall Irish contribution to the battle. Later this morning, across towns and villages around Northern Ireland there will be a series of marches and ceremonies remembering not only the Ulster but also the overall Irish contribution to the battle.
Updated
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8.17am BST8.17am BST
08:1708:17
On Twitter, the images and stories of those who fought 100 years ago are flowing, including from the author Paddy Magrane.On Twitter, the images and stories of those who fought 100 years ago are flowing, including from the author Paddy Magrane.
One hundred years ago, my grandfather climbed out of a trench and began walking towards the German line at Gommecourt. #Somme100One hundred years ago, my grandfather climbed out of a trench and began walking towards the German line at Gommecourt. #Somme100
He was struck in the cheek by shrapnel or a bullet. The wound left him blind in the right eye. He was one of the lucky ones. #Somme100He was struck in the cheek by shrapnel or a bullet. The wound left him blind in the right eye. He was one of the lucky ones. #Somme100
100 yrs ago Pte B.F.Talbot 7th Queens Regt went over the top at Battle of Somme.I'll tell his story today #Somme100 pic.twitter.com/bPjnL5HTDw100 yrs ago Pte B.F.Talbot 7th Queens Regt went over the top at Battle of Somme.I'll tell his story today #Somme100 pic.twitter.com/bPjnL5HTDw
Edwin Smith of the Accrington Pals was killed at Serre 100 years ago.#WW1 #Somme100 pic.twitter.com/ybF6tOjHIxEdwin Smith of the Accrington Pals was killed at Serre 100 years ago.#WW1 #Somme100 pic.twitter.com/ybF6tOjHIx
8.12am BST Horace Iles was only 16 when he was killed, exactly 100 years ago. Eternal grief.#Somme100 @sommecourt pic.twitter.com/Owj2NqrokY
08:12
Coming up at 11am today, a national commemorative event will be held at the Thiepval Memorial in Northern France, to be attended by David Cameron, François Hollande and Prince William, among others.
At 3pm, a remembrance service will be held at Manchester Cathedral. There will also be an evening concert at Manchester’s Heaton Park.
7.54am BST
07:54
The Guardian published a leader on the centenary of the Battle of the Somme:
The Somme has gone down in British memory as a symbol of the human cost and futility of the first world war and, in some eyes, of all wars.
Read the full piece here
It’s extraordinary, given how long ago the campaign took place, that so much video footage exists of it, some featured below.
As well, you can see how the scenes from the Somme a century ago have changed with time, in this interactive:
Related: The Somme during the first world war and now – interactive
7.45am BST
07:45
Here’s a scene from a unique art project, laying 19,420 12-inch figures in shrouds alongside each other, to give a physical sense of the human devastation that took place 100 years ago today. Each figure is associated with the name of a soldier who fell the first day of the campaign.
19239 laid. 1 last one tomorrow, 100 years after they died at the Somme. Indescribable. Open 7am tomorrow morning pic.twitter.com/Na6ORbBYI0
They have been laid at the Northernhay Gardens in Exeter. The artist is Rob Heard.
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7.34am BST
07:34
Already, casualties would have been aggressively mounting.
A century ago now... the Pals generation like these men from Sheffield lay dead & wounded on the #Somme #Somme100 pic.twitter.com/XvyOtN1O6V
7.31am BST
07:31
Big Ben has chimed and the whistle has been sounded, bringing the silence to an end.
A piper is playing by the tomb of the unknown soldier at Westminster Abbey, part of commemorations taking place across France, the UK and the Commonwealth.
A silent vigil has been taking place all night at Quedgeley War Memorial to commemorate the Battle of the Somme. pic.twitter.com/4Xm2KbGg6w
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7.28am BST
07:28
The two-minute silence begins now.
Updated
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7.26am BST
07:26
We’re approaching 7.28am, when a two-minute silence will be held to commemorate the moment British and Commonwealth soldiers were ordered to go over the top, the beginning of a campaign that would claim about 1 million casualties over four months.
On the 1st day of the #Somme, British Army suffered 57,470 casualties, incldng 19,240 killed – heaviest casualty toll in a 24 hour period.
Right this minute, a century ago, tens of thousands of soldiers would have been in their trenches, nervous, excited, awaiting the order to go.
Updated
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7.23am BST
07:23
Overnight, a vigil to commemorate the centenary of the Somme was held at Westminster Abbey.
In France, at the Thiepval Memorial, members of the royal family on Thursday attended another vigil.
More than 70,000 British and Commonwealth soldiers with no known grave are commemorated at Thiepval.
Updated
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4.31pm BST
16:31
The Battle of the Somme was expected to be a significant victory for the British and French against the Germans. However, carnage ensued on both sides – despite the frontline barely moving – in a battle that came to symbolise the horrors of trench warfare and the futility of the war. 19,240 British soldiers died on the first day, making it the bloodiest day in the history of the British army. Among the worst hit of British forces were the “Pals” battalions, volunteer units of limited fighting experience who headed straight into German machine-gun fire. The 2,000 men of the 1st and 2nd Bradford Pals, both part of the West Yorkshire Regiment, suffered 1,770 casualties in the first hour of the offensive as they attacked the heavily fortified village of Serre.
Updated
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4.18pm BST
16:18
Nadia Khomami
Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of the the centenary of the Battle of the Somme, one of the defining events of the first world war.
The Battle of the Somme, fought along a 15-mile front near the river Somme in northern France, took place between July and November 1916. It was planned as the major Allied effort on the western front for that year, but a desperate battle between French and German forces at Verdun meant that the British army assumed the main role.
On this day in 1916, after an intense, week-long artillery bombardment of German positions, the infantry began their advance. Men from every part of Britain and across the empire took part.
By the end of the day, 57,000 Commonwealth and 2,000 French soldiers had become casualties – more than 19,000 of whom had been killed. By the time the offensive was halted in November, more than 1 million soldiers from both sides had been wounded, captured, or killed.
Today’s commemorations will begin with a two-minute silence at 7.28am to mark the moment the first wave of soldiers went over the top. Whistles will be blown to mark the end of the two-minute silence after the 7.30am chimes of Big Ben.
At 11am, a national commemorative event will be at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Thiepval Memorial in Northern France, where David Cameron, François Hollande and senior royals will pay tribute. The Thiepval Memorial is the largest Commonwealth war memorial in the world. It commemorates more than 72,000 men who died in the Somme sector between 1915 and March 1918, more than 90% of them during the 1916 battle.
At 3pm, a remembrance service will be held at Manchester Cathedral. There will also be an evening concert at Manchester’s Heaton Park.
Updated
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