One Hundred Years On

One hundred years ago today, on 1 July 1916, a large explosion and a series of whistles indicated the start of the Battle of the Somme - the battle that was intended to be the decisive moment in defeating the German forces in WWI.

In the event, nearly 20,000 British lives were lost on the first day alone, a day where only three square miles of enemy territory were captured.  By the end of the battle, some five months later, German defences were still not defeated, the advance was no further than seven miles and over a million people had lost their lives.  One Million.  Over 400,000 British, over 200,000 French and over 450,000 Germans.

A series of events will take place today to mark the start of the battle, and the bloodiest ever day in the history of the British Army, which included a 2 minute silence at 7.30am, the time the battle started.

We Will Remember Them