The centenary of the battle of THE SOMME - 1/07/1916

Commemorations take place for one of the defining events of the first world war - The battle of the Somme.

July the 1^st 1916 - a day to remember. It marked the beginning of one of the bloodiest battle in history - the Battle of the Somme. It lasted more than 4 months and more than 1 million service men were injured in the battle.

The worst day in British military history. 

The Battle of the Somme, fought in northern France, was one of the bloodiest of World War One. For five months the British and French armies fought the Germans in a brutal battle of attrition on a 15-mile front.

The aims of the battle were to relieve the French Army fighting at Verdun and to weaken the German Army. However, the Allies were unable to break through German lines. In total, there were over one million dead and wounded on all sides.

The Allies bombarded German trenches for seven days and then sent 100,000 men over the top to attack the German lines.

The day was a disaster for the British. The Germans weathered the artillery fire in deep trenches and came up fighting. As the British soldiers advanced, they were mown down by machine gun and rifle fire. In total, 19,240 British soldiers lost their lives. It was the bloodiest day in the history of the British army. However, the French had more success and inflicted big losses on German troops. In spite of heavy British losses, Douglas Haig, the British general, agreed to continue the attack.

Culled from http://www.bbc.co.uk/timelines/ztngxsg