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Battle of the Somme centenary commemorations – live Battle of the Somme centenary commemorations – live
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Michael D Higgins, the Irish president has arrived.
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David Cameron has also arrived. This will be one of the last commemorative events he attends as prime minister. No doubt Cameron and Hollande have plenty to talk about …
Angela Merkel is not expected today, but a former president of Germany will attend.
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François Hollande has arrived at Thiepval and is meeting part of the British delegation and French armed forces. Prince Harry and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have also arrived. The heads of state will gather and wait until all the principal guests arrive. The national anthems will be played before the heads of state take their place in the crowds, which have been waiting for up to three hours at this point.
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At Thiepval, the band of the Welsh Guards have just finished performing and given way to the French military band. You can watch the proceedings live on BBC 1.
Arrivée dans la Somme pour la commémoration de la Bataille. Très impressionnant. @Mission1418 @IWM_Centenary pic.twitter.com/0PPs9cp4wt
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Students have made a life-size paper recreation of the Battle of the Somme.
In 2014, dozens of students on Birmingham City University’s theatre, performance and event design course worked tirelessly to craft the installation out of paper and cardboard. The items were originally on show to mark the start of first world war, but today the images and time-lapse video of the exhibition are being revisited by students and graduates paying their respects on the Battle’s centenary.
Each figure, setting and item was made out of brown paper to portray a typical day on the battlefield. It featured trenches, poor outdoor sleeping quarters, injured soldiers and reproductions of the weaponry used during the conflict. It took students four weeks on a budget of only £450 to transform the exhibition space into a recreation of the first world war’s largest battle.
After completion, the Royal Air Force, who visited the site, took the full installation to its base at RAF Shawbury.
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It’s worth noting that when François Hollande attends the centenary today he will be the first French head of state at a Somme commemoration in more than 80 years.
As the BBC reports, Charles De Gaulle did not attend the 50th anniversary in 1966 and his successors have not been at any subsequent event. The last time a French head of state went to a Somme commemoration was in 1932 when Albert Lebrun helped inaugurate the Thiepval memorial alongside the future King Edward VIII.
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French & British flags on Lutyens's vast memorial to 72,000 UK & S African men whose bodies never found #Somme100 pic.twitter.com/wVXMAO2NpP
This is the famous mud of the Somme valley. 10.000 visitors have been given rain ponchos #Somme100 pic.twitter.com/B6Fe9fmMFO
Diane Freeman @ #somme100 for gt uncle Walter Clapperton, close to tears. His name is on memorial to 72,000 missing pic.twitter.com/W43IJXY5uC
Kelly McKenna, 27, from Luton. At #Somme100 remembering gt-gt uncle who died during Great War, his body never found pic.twitter.com/277rJ4i5i4
Kelly McKenna, 27, from Luton, first became interested in the first world war on a school trip to the battlefields of northern France when she was a teenager. She had not wanted to come at first, she said, but as soon as she saw the monuments, she said they captured her. Why? “It’s the sheer scale of it, of the loss. These men didn’t know what they were going into. They thought they would be home by Christmas,” she said.
She later discovered her own great-great-uncle John Naylor had fought with the Dorset Regiment; he was killed elsewhere in the war and his body never found. Last year, she had a poppy tattooed on her left forearm with the words “Lest we forget”.
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We’ve been receiving some moving stories from readers of soldiers who died 100 years ago today. One of whom is Pte Charles John Harvey. His great-niece Elizabeth Dean said he was only 19-years old when he died. Rachel Obordo
Born in 1897 in Plaistow, Essex, Pte Charles Harvey was in the No 1 section, 64th company, Machine Gun Corps (Infantry). He had three sibings and worked as a barman before he enlisted. Charles was killed during the advance on the village of Fricourt on 1 July. His last letter home was written four days before he died: Readers have sent in some moving stories of soldiers who died 100 years ago today. One wais Pte Charles John Harvey. His great-niece Elizabeth Dean said he was only 19 when he died.
Born in 1897 in Plaistow, Essex, Harvey was in the No 1 section, 64th company, Machine Gun Corps (Infantry). He had three siblings and worked as a barman before he enlisted. Charles was killed during the advance on the village of Fricourt on 1 July. His last letter home had been written four days earlier:
Dear Mother and Dad,Dear Mother and Dad,
I now take the pleasure of writing to you hoping the letter will find you in the best of health as it leaves me at the time of writing. Also to let you know that I have just got your letter with the birthday cards and I thank you very much for them – they both have very good tokens on them and are very pretty. I will look after them and each time I look at them will remind me of the first birthday I have ever had away from my home. But I am living in great hope that by next June 1917 I will be with you all at home and enjoying myself.I now take the pleasure of writing to you hoping the letter will find you in the best of health as it leaves me at the time of writing. Also to let you know that I have just got your letter with the birthday cards and I thank you very much for them – they both have very good tokens on them and are very pretty. I will look after them and each time I look at them will remind me of the first birthday I have ever had away from my home. But I am living in great hope that by next June 1917 I will be with you all at home and enjoying myself.
Well I am very pleased to hear that you are getting on a bit better and that Dad is at work again, and I must say that i am getting on with the life well. I think I shall soon be a regular pipe smoker which will be better for my chest as you know I am very short winded and it’s a great trouble to me out here. I would be glad if I could get my wind back again. Well I am quite satisfied with the cards and I won’t forget that home and Mother and Dad are my best friends when I am in trouble again. I think I done wrong when I joined up the second time but all being well, and with God’s help, I will soon be with you all again. Well I am very pleased to hear that you are getting on a bit better and that Dad is at work again, and I must say that I am getting on with the life well. I think I shall soon be a regular pipe smoker which will be better for my chest as you know I am very short winded and it’s a great trouble to me out here. I would be glad if I could get my wind back again. Well I am quite satisfied with the cards and I won’t forget that home and Mother and Dad are my best friends when I am in trouble again. I think I done wrong when I joined up the second time but all being well, and with God’s help, I will soon be with you all again.
I think this is all I can tell you at the time of writing. So I close this letter with best love to all at home wishing you all the very best prospects of the year.I think this is all I can tell you at the time of writing. So I close this letter with best love to all at home wishing you all the very best prospects of the year.
From your Loving Son,From your Loving Son,
CharlieCharlie
Kisses for Dollie xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxKisses for Dollie xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
From her Loving Brother CharlieFrom her Loving Brother Charlie
Tell Aunt Lizzie that I thank her for the card she sent.Tell Aunt Lizzie that I thank her for the card she sent.
A loving heart but far away but thinks of home every day, though the war may last long I hope to come home well and strong.A loving heart but far away but thinks of home every day, though the war may last long I hope to come home well and strong.
If you have any stories, photos or letters of family who were at the battle of the Sommes you can share them with us by clicking the blue button at the top of the live blog.
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My colleague Esther Addley, who is at Thiepval for today’s commemorations, also reports that Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has arrived, as have Nicola Sturgeon and writer Sebastian Faulks. My colleague Esther Addley, who is at Thiepval for today’s commemorations, also reports that Labour’s leader, Jeremy Corbyn, has arrived, as have Scotland’s first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, and the writer Sebastian Faulks.
Jeremy Corbyn has arrived at Thiepval monument for #Somme100. Can also see Nicola Sturgeon, Sebastian Faulks, Seumas Milne on his mobileJeremy Corbyn has arrived at Thiepval monument for #Somme100. Can also see Nicola Sturgeon, Sebastian Faulks, Seumas Milne on his mobile
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Esther AddleyEsther Addley
Crowds started arriving at the vast Thiepval monument to the Somme’s missing early in the day. Around 10,000 people have secured tickets, and many carried artefacts or told stories of granddads, great-granddads, great-uncles and family friends who had fought and in many cases died. Crowds started arriving at the vast Thiepval monument to the Somme’s missing early in the day. About 10,000 people have secured tickets, and many carried artefacts or told stories of granddads, great-granddads, great-uncles and family friends who had fought and, in many cases, died.
Steve Richards from Brighton had brought a photograph of his own great grandfather Arthur Sillence of the 11th battalion, the Suffolk Regiment, and also a worn beige postcard, addressed in pencil to his great grandmother in Cherry Hinton, Cambridgeshire. Steve Richards, from Brighton, brought a photograph of his great-grandfather Arthur Sillence, of the 11th Battalion the Suffolk Regiment, and also a worn postcard, addressed in pencil to his great-grandmother in Cherry Hinton, Cambridgeshire.
This card posted home by Steve Richards' gt granddad Arthur Silence on 1Jul. He died the same day, body never found pic.twitter.com/yOZcr7KVjnThis card posted home by Steve Richards' gt granddad Arthur Silence on 1Jul. He died the same day, body never found pic.twitter.com/yOZcr7KVjn
Soldiers were not allowed to add any personal detail to the pre-printed card, but the soldier had crossed out everything other than ‘I am quite well,’ and signed it. It was postmarked 1 July 1916; in fact Sillence had been killed at La Boisselle in the early hours of the battle. His body was never recovered, and his name is one of the 72,000 missing inscribed on Lutyens’s memorial. Soldiers were not allowed to add any personal details to the pre-printed cards, but the soldier had crossed out everything other than “I am quite well,” and signed it. It was postmarked 1 July 1916. Sillence had been killed at La Boisselle in the early hours of that day. His body was never recovered, and his name is one of the 72,000 of missing soldiers inscribed on Lutyens’ memorial.
“He was just an ordinary man, 38 years old, who worked on the railways,” said Richards. “Signed up, put in uniform, and off he went to war.”“He was just an ordinary man, 38 years old, who worked on the railways,” said Richards. “Signed up, put in uniform, and off he went to war.”
Rear of card sent by Arthur Sillence 1July 'I am quite well'. Died same day La Boisselle, body never found #Somme100 pic.twitter.com/bEY1gvdhVQRear of card sent by Arthur Sillence 1July 'I am quite well'. Died same day La Boisselle, body never found #Somme100 pic.twitter.com/bEY1gvdhVQ
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The CWGC’s casualty database doesn’t list the age of everyone killed on 1 July 1916. Ages were not always provided to the commission by the military authorities or next of kin but enough were to convey the overwhelming youth of those who fell. The CWGC’s casualty database does not list the age of everyone killed on 1 July 1916. Ages were not always provided by the military authorities or next of kin but those that were convey overwhelmingly the youth of most who fell.
The youngest soldier to die on 1 July 1916 was Pte Henry John Edward Woodward, 15, whose mother’s address was listed as West Kensington, London. He served in the 1st/6th Battalion Royal Warwickshire Regiment and is commemorated at the Thiepval Memorial. Of four men aged 54 who died that day, Lieutenant Colonel Charles Cecil Archibald Sillery of the Northumberland Fusiliers was the officer commanding the 20th (Tyneside Scottish) Battalion who lost 311 men, one of the highest losses for a single battalion on the battle’s opening day The youngest soldier to die was Pte Henry John Edward Woodward, 15, whose mother’s address was listed as West Kensington, London. He served in the 1st/6th Battalion Royal Warwickshire Regiment and is commemorated at the Thiepval memorial. Another of those who died, 54-year-old Lt Col Charles Cecil Archibald Sillery, of the Northumberland Fusiliers, was the commanding officer of the 20th (Tyneside Scottish) Battalion. It lost 311 men, one of the highest losses for a single battalion on the battle’s opening day.
Those regiments who lost most soldiers on 1 July 2016 had large numbers of Pals’ Battalions in their ranks. These units consisted of groups of young men from the same village, town, street or workplace who enlisted, fought and died together. The army had relied on the camaraderie generated by serving alongside friends, neighbours and colleagues to recruit the huge force it thought necessary to win the war. These young, non-professional volunteer soldiers paid a high price at the Somme. The regiments who lost the most soldiers on 1 July 2016 had large numbers of pals’ battalions in their ranks. These units consisted of groups of young men from the same village, town, street or workplace who enlisted, fought and died together. The army had relied on the camaraderie generated by serving alongside friends, neighbours and colleagues to recruit the huge force it thought necessary to win the war. These young, non-professional volunteer soldiers paid a high price at the Somme.
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My colleagues on the Guardian visuals team have produced some charts using records held by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. The CWGC’s casualty database lists 17,310 British soldiers who died on 1 July 1916 and are buried or commemorated in France’s Somme department. More soldiers who died that day are buried or commemorated in other countries and French departments - the long-accepted historical figure for British deaths on the first day of the Somme is 19,240. My colleagues on the Guardian visuals team have produced charts using records held by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. The CWGC’s casualty database lists 17,310 British soldiers who died on 1 July 1916 and are buried or commemorated in France’s Somme department. More soldiers who died that day are buried or commemorated in other countries and French departments – the long-accepted historical figure for British deaths on the first day of the Somme is 19,240.
CWGC data starkly confirms it was the lower orders who bore the brunt of the carnage on the first day at the Somme. This was an inexperienced army with large numbers of volunteers - many those who died had signed up earlier in the war and were at the front for the first time having completed their training. CWGC data confirms it was the lower orders who bore the brunt of the carnage on the first day. This was an inexperienced army with large numbers of volunteers – many of those who died had signed up earlier in the war and were at the front for the first time after completing their training.
The highest ranking officer to die that day was Brigadier General Charles Bertie Prowse, 47, from Taunton in Somerset. He fell while commanding the 11th Infantry Brigade but his actions at another battle in 1914 led to a cemetery being named after him in Belgium. The highest-ranking officer to die that day was Brigadier General Charles Bertie Prowse, 47, from Taunton in Somerset. He fell while commanding the 11th Infantry Brigade but his actions at another battle in 1914 led to a cemetery being named after him in Belgium.
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A programme of film, music and poetry will be used to commemorate the centenary of the Battle of the Somme at Thiepval today. Performers from across the UK including 600 British, Irish and French school children will take part in the event. A programme of film, music and poetry will be used to commemorate the centenary of the Battle of the Somme at Thiepval today. Performers from across the UK, including 600 British, Irish and French school children will take part in the event.
Actors Charles Dance and Joely Richardson will narrate the event and former England international footballer Sol Campbell and actor Jason Isaacs will do a reading. Scottish singer Julie Fowlis will sing An Eala Bhàn (“The White Swan”) in Gaelic.Actors Charles Dance and Joely Richardson will narrate the event and former England international footballer Sol Campbell and actor Jason Isaacs will do a reading. Scottish singer Julie Fowlis will sing An Eala Bhàn (“The White Swan”) in Gaelic.
The Morriston Orpheus Choir, The Band of the Royal Irish Regiment, British tenor Samuel Boden, and the Band of the Welsh Guards will perform songs connected to the battle, including those written by soldiers in the trenches. The Morriston Orpheus choir, the band of the Royal Irish Regiment, British tenor Samuel Boden, and the band of the Welsh Guards will perform songs connected to the battle, including those written by soldiers in the trenches.
The music performed by the BBC Symphony Orchestra and conducted by Sakari Oramo will include George Butterworth’s The Banks of Green Willow, composed while he served with the Durham Light Infantry. Awarded the Military Cross for his leadership in July 1916, he did not live to receive the award and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial. The music, performed by the BBC Symphony Orchestra and conducted by Sakari Oramo, will include George Butterworth’s The Banks of Green Willow, composed while he served with the Durham Light Infantry. Awarded the Military Cross for his leadership in July 1916, he did not live to receive the award and is commemorated on the Thiepval memorial.
To reflect the Anglo-French nature of the event, the Chœur de l’Armée française will also participate today. To reflect the Anglo-French nature of the event, the chœur de l’armée française will also participate today.
Highlights of the cultural programme also include; Highlights of the cultural programme include:
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Esther AddleyEsther 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. Sidney Dixon was a 19-year-old draughtsman from Grimsby when he signed up in 1914, part of the first wave of Kitchener’s volunteers. Two years later, he and his fellow members of the 10th battalion 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. 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 91 metres wide and 21 metres 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.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.” 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.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, Eileen’s sons will attend the commemoration at the Thiepval monument in his memory.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, 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. “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 Dixon, 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.”“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. Like many in her position, said Dixon, 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.” Among them, as well as Dixon’s war medal, Roger Dixon and his brother will be bringing with them a tiny 10cm bible that was given by their grandparents to the soldier for Christmas 1914, and which they are certain Sidney 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 Battalion 134.”
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Timeline of the Battle of SommeTimeline of the Battle of Somme
This timeline of the Battle of the Somme by the Imperial War Museum is handy.This timeline of the Battle of the Somme by the Imperial War Museum is handy.
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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
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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 No 1 and six-time 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.”
Peter Shilton OBE, former goalkeeper and England’s most-capped player with 125 appearances, said: “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 1 July 1916. But his actions made news all over the world and were an inspiration to many at home and at the front.”
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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 1 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:
The Legion has also released a free Sport Remembers the Somme 1916-2016 toolkit for holding a commemorative event, including a souvenir pennant.
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My colleagues on visuals have made this map detailing where and when the offences took place.
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Vigils commemorate the 100th anniversary of the beginning of the Battle of the Somme #Somme100 pic.twitter.com/zfjnkWvFY0
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Here is another picture from Waterloo station this morning, taken by the Guardian’s Maev Kennedy.
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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 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 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.
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.
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#Somme100 living art memorial at Waterloo station this morning. Really eery and very poignant pic.twitter.com/kbNFV23I9U
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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 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 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.
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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. #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. #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/bPjnL5HTDw
Edwin Smith of the Accrington Pals was killed at Serre 100 years ago.#WW1 #Somme100 pic.twitter.com/ybF6tOjHIx
Horace Iles was only 16 when he was killed, exactly 100 years ago. Eternal grief.#Somme100 @sommecourt pic.twitter.com/Owj2NqrokY
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