01/07/2016 BBC Newsline


01/07/2016

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This is BBC Newsline on Friday the 1st of July.

:00:14.:00:18.

The centenary of the start of the Battle of the Somme

:00:19.:00:21.

Here on the battlefields of France, a special service has been held

:00:22.:00:27.

at the Ulster Tower to remember the 2000 soldiers from the 36th

:00:28.:00:30.

Ulster Division who were killed on that first day.

:00:31.:00:33.

I'll be looking back on that ceremony and will speak

:00:34.:00:38.

Here at home, people gathered to mark the anniversary.

:00:39.:00:53.

Wreaths were laid as a mark of respect for all those

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100 years ago today, the bloodiest battle

:00:56.:01:05.

In the five months that followed, one million soldiers

:01:06.:01:11.

Thousands of them were from across Ireland.

:01:12.:01:18.

In a moment, we'll hear about the commemorations here

:01:19.:01:20.

But the main focus has been on France.

:01:21.:01:23.

Tara Mills is there for BBC Newsline.

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Yes, Donna, today's service here at the Ulster Tower reflected

:01:29.:01:30.

the scale of the tragedy that happened in the fields around us

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but it also captured the individual stories of bravery and sacrifice.

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A generation wiped out and barely a town or village

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The battle of de son ceremony for the 36th Ulster Division began with

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the presentation of regimental colours of the royalist Irish

:01:59.:02:01.

regiment. Several thousand people from Northern Ireland made the trip

:02:02.:02:08.

for this special centenary. The day had begun much earlier in nearby

:02:09.:02:14.

Thiepval Wood rear whistles were blowing just as they were 100 years

:02:15.:02:17.

ago at the precise time the Ulstermen went over the top. Conor

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McCracken's great uncle was one of them. I just think about what it

:02:24.:02:26.

must have felt like him going over the top and knowing that his brother

:02:27.:02:31.

has been killed in a before. Very poignant. Amongst the VIPs, Prince

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Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall who were warmly applauded by the

:02:36.:02:38.

crowds as the arrived at the Tower of Ulster. During the service,

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poignant letters written by soldiers in the trenches were about out. What

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a waste of life. Glad they all were who died in the water. The 16th iris

:02:50.:02:54.

division as well as the 36th Ulster Division, I still think if we had

:02:55.:02:58.

those men beside us that day, we would have two Thiepval. It was the

:02:59.:03:05.

day of remembrance and reflection. You just get a shiver. Everything is

:03:06.:03:13.

so quiet. I have met people who had great grandfathers and great uncles

:03:14.:03:17.

who have came and told me stories. Some of their bodies were never

:03:18.:03:21.

found and some of them were awarded military crosses. It is very

:03:22.:03:26.

interesting today because 100 years ago, people have started to talk

:03:27.:03:29.

about their own families and what really happened. So plight --

:03:30.:03:34.

pleased to be here. It's an honour. As been arranged the graveyards and

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there were lads who were 1516. It brings a tear to your eyes. I've

:03:39.:03:44.

been here are the last number of years because this deal is

:03:45.:03:47.

different. The number of people from Northern Ireland in the UK and the

:03:48.:03:50.

number of people who are prepared 100 years on to give up time to pay

:03:51.:03:55.

their respects. It is very hard to know in terms of common humanity and

:03:56.:03:59.

ability to come together in respect. It just brings it home to what our

:04:00.:04:07.

forefathers have done for us. Not just one part of the country but for

:04:08.:04:14.

the other because it was both. Getting emotional. Both sides in the

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war. They fought for the freedom we have today. There are no longer any

:04:23.:04:27.

Battle of the Salma vengeance left to attend the services. Now it is

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about honouring the memory of what happened in these fields, filled

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with poppies at Thiepval. -- Battle of the Somme.

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The First Minister laid a wreath today.

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Afterwards, I asked her what the anniversary means to her.

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It means so much to so many people in Northern Ireland which is why it

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was so important for me to be here today to lay a wreath not just at

:04:53.:04:56.

Thiepval but also at the Ulster Tower which encompasses the memories

:04:57.:05:01.

for the 36th Ulster Division. I find the service today very moving, very

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emotional and am very proud to have been a part of it. What was going to

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your mind when you leave the wreath? What was going through my mind was

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how people were thinking when their young sons, their young has-beens

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worst year in such terrible, terrible conditions fighting for

:05:19.:05:22.

freedom and when you look back at the old footage that has been

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running all day today, it really is very difficult for us today to

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comprehend the conditions they had to live in. The sacrifice that they

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made and many of them volunteers and indeed the fullness of war and the

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determination that surely we must stay away from that and we must make

:05:41.:05:44.

sure that we have peace in our world and for us in Northern Ireland, that

:05:45.:05:47.

is very important having come through the Troubles.

:05:48.:05:49.

Of course, it wasn't just the 36th Ulster Division

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More than a million men were killed and wounded -

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British, Commonwealth and German soldiers.

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Not far from here, another service was held at the Thiepval Memorial,

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which bears the names of more than 72,000 men whose

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It was attended by the Irish President Michael D Higgins

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For guns, British and French marked the end of the overnight vigil at

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the Thiepval Memorial. They had come to remember the stories of ordinary

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men and women, including Belfast men Billy McFadden. At 6:45am on the 1st

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of July 1916 he was at Thiepval Wood any narrow assembly trench. As he

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was preparing for the attack, and ammunition box turned over. It

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spilled to live grenades primed to explode. Billy threw himself on top

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of them. He was killed at once. His actions saved the lives of many of

:06:57.:07:00.

his comrades. This with the Commonwealth commemoration. Others

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had further to travel. Indian cavalrymen, Australian soldiers who

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fought fierce battles. New Zealanders who helped capture. The

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South African Infantry Brigade. Soldiers from across Ireland

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deserved a British Army in early September, the 16th iris division

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fought at one of the fewest as part of the battle. -- fiercest parts of

:07:32.:07:42.

the battle. The remit swept over Thiepval and the people of those

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nations from all sides remembered more than 1 million souls lost but

:07:47.:07:48.

not forgotten. For the first time,

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a Catholic Archbishop attended I asked Archbishop Eamon Martin why

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he had decided to come to This year was very special for many

:07:55.:08:09.

people as they were commemorating the centenary year of the Battle of

:08:10.:08:14.

the Somme. Along with Archbishop Richard Clarke, the Church of

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Ireland, I've been thinking what can I do in a symbolic way, any way of

:08:20.:08:25.

saying to people we are very conscious of the tremendous

:08:26.:08:29.

sacrifice and bravery of those who went to war and also we are very

:08:30.:08:34.

anxious to promote a message of peace, healing and reconciliation.

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My presence here today as part of that wish. It is so much a part of

:08:39.:08:44.

our history. It is part of our shared history. It is sad that down

:08:45.:08:48.

to the decades, our histories have moved apart and we've begun to feel

:08:49.:08:54.

separate about what it plays here and yet the stories here show that

:08:55.:09:02.

Protestants and Catholics stood and fought side-by-side for freedom. And

:09:03.:09:09.

trapeze. I really hope that we've taken a small step forward to

:09:10.:09:12.

recovering the complexity of the narrative and the fact that we do

:09:13.:09:16.

have something very much in common than we think back to the bravery of

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those men. We sometimes forget that on the very first day of July, there

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were many members of the, for example, Royal Dublin 's and other

:09:27.:09:30.

regiments who fought and died here who were decimated during this full

:09:31.:09:35.

horrific battle. Do you think we can they remember it together and move

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on? We still have some way to go because of more recent conflicts but

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I think we are taking a step forward where there is a more generous

:09:46.:09:50.

narrative going on now. As our younger people begin to uncover

:09:51.:09:54.

history and ask questions for themselves, I think we are seeing a

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way forward and today, I must say, I have been welcomed by so many people

:09:59.:10:03.

who coming up to me and saying, we are glad you are here. It is

:10:04.:10:07.

important for me but also for those who traditionally come here to open

:10:08.:10:13.

up a little bit and have much more in common as we remember the

:10:14.:10:16.

sacrifice that took place 100 years ago.

:10:17.:10:18.

The next generation of soldiers from the Royal Irish Regiment

:10:19.:10:20.

were central to today's music and readings.

:10:21.:10:23.

One of them Leuitenant Conor McCracken, who we saw in Mervyn's

:10:24.:10:25.

report, also has a family connection to the Somme.

:10:26.:10:37.

My great grandfather from Thiepval Wood advanced to the first German

:10:38.:10:47.

line to the third German lines, about 500 metres that way where he

:10:48.:10:51.

was shot in the soldier and sustained further wins and he then

:10:52.:10:55.

crawled back to the road where I marched on the colours which was

:10:56.:10:58.

then a sunken road Ricky took cover and got injured again. He was

:10:59.:11:08.

brought back to the dressing station. He did survive but was

:11:09.:11:15.

badly injured. His brother was also killed the night before moving into

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the line so it actually occurred there was a two men from his company

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that survived to move into line at 6am and having wrote a letter back

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to family, he says they could think about was his brother being killed

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before. It was a very poignant day for each carrying the Queen's colour

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in and although the focus was on the service that was here, I was

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thinking about what would have happened at this time 100 years ago

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and we're in the battle he might have been.

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I also spoke to father and son George and William Sayer

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from Donermana, County Tyrone, who have been coming to the Somme

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for more than ten years, who told me about their experiences.

:11:58.:12:02.

There were a lot of young people who had no way out. They joined the

:12:03.:12:22.

Army. It was better than nothing. Why is it important for you to come

:12:23.:12:26.

along, has your dad passed the history down? I am intrigued to. I'm

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interested in the tracing his steps back to this very spot not to fire

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from here where he lies. Ten years ago, we went out as the couple and

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Lady Poppy on his grave for the first time. For me to take my father

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here today, we look back on fullness of the trips we have made here and a

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poignant remembrance of him that gave so much for my freedom and for

:12:53.:12:59.

the peace and the place that I have today as a young man. Do you

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appreciate that? You think the rest of us appreciate it? I appreciate it

:13:05.:13:08.

sincerely and I would like to think that hopefully this would be a case

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where we can put this across to others to remember the sacrifice

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that was given on their behalf with a piece that we all enjoy today as

:13:16.:13:16.

individuals. Families and friends looking back

:13:17.:13:18.

and remembering a generation lost And events have also been

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taking place back at home Yes, Belfast and Dublin were just

:13:22.:13:24.

two of the cities where wreaths were laid to remember

:13:25.:13:30.

all of the Irish men It was an emotional day

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for the relatives of those who from all walks of life didn't

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make it home from the war. At Belfast City Hall,

:13:38.:13:42.

people gathered for a wreath laying ceremony remembering the men

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from both the 36th Ulster Division and the 16th Irish Division

:13:50.:13:53.

who lost their lives at the Somme. Among those paying tribute

:13:54.:13:58.

was the Lord Mayor Brian Kingston and the Irish government

:13:59.:14:02.

minister Leo Varadkar. Elsewhere in Belfast,

:14:03.:14:13.

people in Tower Street organised a cross community

:14:14.:14:15.

and Somme street festival. Local residents me surged six

:14:16.:14:28.

soldiers that are on the wall and done their homework. One of which is

:14:29.:14:35.

the local lads. I think is good for this committee. During times of the

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committee, the bigger heart and soul into it.

:14:43.:14:44.

At Thiepval Barracks in Lisburn, soldiers from the 38th Irish Brigade

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mustered at the Thiepval Memorial for an ecumenical

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In the Republic, a commemoration was held at Irish National War

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Memorial Gardens in Island Bridge, involving the Irish Defence Forces

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It's almost impossible to imagine what it would have been

:14:58.:15:08.

like as the men left their trenches to advance

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At a commemoration in Enniskillen Castle,

:15:11.:15:17.

a bugle used at the Somme was played once again, recreating the evocative

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Here's our south-west reporter, Julian Fowler.

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At 7.30am, bugles signalled the 'advance' - the moment

:15:34.:15:37.

when 100,000 men went over the top into No Man's Land.

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One of those bugles belonged to Drummer Jack Downs

:15:44.:15:45.

from Londonderry and it, again, sounded the advance

:15:46.:15:48.

Today, his bugle was played by Stephen Humphreys,

:15:49.:15:54.

I'm only 17 at the moment and it doesn't even seem normal. I don't

:15:55.:16:08.

know how schoolboys could just go off to war. It doesn't seem normal.

:16:09.:16:14.

Jack Downs survived the Somme but was killed later

:16:15.:16:16.

The bugle is now part of the collection of

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It is the one article in a collection that can speak.

:16:22.:16:31.

Photographs and medals are very poignant but these are the exact

:16:32.:16:34.

science and relatives would have heard 100 years ago.

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By the end of the first day, more than 600 Inniskillings would be

:16:37.:16:39.

In the regimental chapel at St Macartin's Cathedral,

:16:40.:16:42.

there's a new stained glass window to remember their sacrifice.

:16:43.:16:53.

We will return to the battle of the Somme commemoration is later in the

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programme. In other news, paint has been thrown

:16:58.:16:59.

over two Orange halls in Banbridge in what the poilce say

:17:00.:17:02.

is a sectarian attack. Republican graffiti was also daubed

:17:03.:17:04.

on the walls of Tanvally and Corbet The Orange Order says 12

:17:05.:17:07.

of its properties have The Equality Commission has

:17:08.:17:10.

rescinded its approval of the process used

:17:11.:17:17.

by Newry and Mourne Council to review the naming

:17:18.:17:19.

of McCreesh Park in Newry. Local people's decision to name

:17:20.:17:22.

the play park after the hunger striker Raymond McCreesh

:17:23.:17:25.

has been controversial. The chief equality commissioner

:17:26.:17:29.

Dr Michael Wardlow says, following a legal challenge,

:17:30.:17:32.

the council now needs to look The Fire and Rescue Service

:17:33.:17:35.

is investigating the cause of a fire which destroyed a bungalow

:17:36.:17:42.

near Crumlin in County Antrim. A man was treated for shock

:17:43.:17:46.

at the scene and neighbouring properties on Manse Road

:17:47.:17:49.

were evacuated. Four fire appliances

:17:50.:17:51.

were used to tackle the blaze Inspectors have said more must be

:17:52.:17:54.

done to tackle mental health problems of vulnerable men

:17:55.:18:01.

in Maghaberry Prison. Criminal Justice Inspection has

:18:02.:18:06.

published its full report of an inspection in January

:18:07.:18:10.

confirming that the situation in the prison has stabilised

:18:11.:18:12.

and improved since last year, when they branded it one of the most

:18:13.:18:17.

dangerous in Europe. But its says more needs to be done,

:18:18.:18:20.

and has recommended a review of a decision to close an in-patient

:18:21.:18:23.

health facility at Maghaberry which provided care to men

:18:24.:18:26.

with significant physical In Gaelic games, both the Ulster

:18:27.:18:29.

senior football semi-final Tomorrow evening, the defending

:18:30.:18:38.

champions Monaghan meet Donegal and then, on Sunday,

:18:39.:18:43.

Tyrone take on Cavan. Tyrone are in search of a first

:18:44.:18:46.

provincial crown since 2010. Earlier today, BBC Newsline's Mark

:18:47.:18:52.

Sidebottom caught up with Tyrone manager Mickey Harte at the county's

:18:53.:18:55.

centre of excellence. You join as in the Tyrone trophy

:18:56.:19:10.

room with me Mickey Harte. All you've got to do is beat them to get

:19:11.:19:16.

back to a final. We are in it to win it. Caven posed a big challenge to

:19:17.:19:22.

us. We expected to win the first game but it didn't happen. The goals

:19:23.:19:27.

hurt you. You have opted to change a keeper. What's the thinking? Two

:19:28.:19:32.

keepers Eric excellent keepers and it was neck and neck for them all

:19:33.:19:37.

the way. It was because of a coin between the of them. We don't always

:19:38.:19:49.

listen to the criticism that comes our way. If an opportunity presents

:19:50.:19:55.

itself, then if it's right for him, we'll let him have it. Tomorrow's

:19:56.:20:02.

nights game, who do you feel has the edge? Student got to stay. It's not

:20:03.:20:06.

an issue for us at the moment. Looking at the last game, both teams

:20:07.:20:11.

had a chance to seal victory and its two Morrisons credit that he clawed

:20:12.:20:16.

their way back. These two teams I neck and neck and you would be

:20:17.:20:20.

filled are just who could win the outcome. You never give too much

:20:21.:20:26.

away. Tyrone Caven replay will be an at 6:30pm. Both live on BBC radio

:20:27.:20:30.

Ulster. The dismantling will begin

:20:31.:20:39.

here shortly but it will be a long time before those who attended

:20:40.:20:42.

forget today's ceremony. Historian Phillip Orr has

:20:43.:20:44.

been with me all day. It must have been difficult to

:20:45.:20:52.

balance the courage and bravery with the tragedy of war. It is a

:20:53.:20:56.

difficult one but I think the balance was struck well. The wreaths

:20:57.:21:00.

are still up there and they are a reminder of the homage, the lying

:21:01.:21:06.

there upside the tower, the homage that so many people from families to

:21:07.:21:10.

county councils and various groups right through to royalty, they want

:21:11.:21:15.

to show a sense of honour and on the other hand we heard stories from

:21:16.:21:23.

letters that were written by people who clearly had lost their lives

:21:24.:21:27.

eventually in the conflict. We became very aware of the personal

:21:28.:21:31.

note. I think the balance was struck fairly well. It's difficult. You

:21:32.:21:36.

have spoke to many veterans before the died. What would be have made of

:21:37.:21:43.

today? That is a hard one. Who knows exactly what they would think. I

:21:44.:21:47.

would suggest that the media would warn us to be careful. One man in

:21:48.:21:52.

particular that I spoke to looked out on a world as it was at the time

:21:53.:21:58.

when interviewed him of the Cold War and he said it seems to me we

:21:59.:22:03.

haven't learned anything at all. I would say whilst there is water in

:22:04.:22:06.

the Middle East, while refugees are tumbling out of those conflicts

:22:07.:22:10.

owns, while there is still threat of conflict around the globe, some of

:22:11.:22:14.

the wise old men that I would have met would see, learn the lesson of

:22:15.:22:20.

what we went through, learn the lesson. It was very difficult for

:22:21.:22:23.

many of them because they came back, the ones that did survive, and

:22:24.:22:27.

thought it would be the war that ended all worries and it wasn't. Hot

:22:28.:22:32.

on the heels, World War II. We have to remember that. Many men came back

:22:33.:22:39.

to poverty and disability. Most of all, I would have said, the came

:22:40.:22:42.

back to hunting memories. The memories didn't go our way. Once

:22:43.:22:46.

you've been any word like World War I, if you been in the front line or

:22:47.:22:52.

on the field we are standing here on today, your war goes on to the rest

:22:53.:22:56.

of your life. Very often, towards the end of, when you are frail at

:22:57.:23:00.

all is, that is when some of those memories start to bother you and

:23:01.:23:03.

service because you are facing your own mortality as well. A sombre note

:23:04.:23:08.

is appropriate at the end of the today as much as we have relished

:23:09.:23:11.

the whole experience and even as it begins to clear and we just if you

:23:12.:23:17.

have is left here in the thousands that have been here and have gone,

:23:18.:23:21.

perhaps a quieter note is in not inappropriate note to finish on as

:23:22.:23:28.

we think about the horrendous battle of the Somme campaign. When it comes

:23:29.:23:31.

down to where we are now and looking forward to the future, there was a

:23:32.:23:36.

run-up to the centenary. How you will be remember any future? Will

:23:37.:23:41.

they be people here next year or ten or 20 years? I think people will

:23:42.:23:45.

still continue to come here because they've established a pattern of

:23:46.:23:49.

doing so every year and I think many of the men and women that I know who

:23:50.:23:52.

relish coming year and love the whole experience, they are not want

:23:53.:23:58.

to miss that. The years are going to pass by and other things to think

:23:59.:24:02.

about another battle to think about. Perhaps that will be the focus of

:24:03.:24:06.

attention as much as the Battle of the Somme. Thank you for your

:24:07.:24:07.

thoughts today. There's a special BBC

:24:08.:24:10.

Newsline on Sunday to mark William Crawley will be looking

:24:11.:24:12.

back on her many visits to Northern Ireland over

:24:13.:24:16.

the last six decades. That's at 5.15pm this Sunday

:24:17.:24:18.

on BBC One. Here's Geoff Maskell

:24:19.:24:20.

with the weather. I thought I picked up a nice

:24:21.:24:38.

cheerful summer picture this evening. Not because it reflected

:24:39.:24:41.

what the weather was doing but I think we could do with the remainder

:24:42.:24:44.

of what summer is meant to look like. Those showers continuing. They

:24:45.:24:50.

were bringing us hailstones through the day-to-day and rumbles of

:24:51.:24:53.

thunder. Overnight, the showers continue. Things do improve as we go

:24:54.:25:02.

through the weekend a bet, it will become drier and brighter as we get

:25:03.:25:06.

through the weekend but always the risk of a shower around and that is

:25:07.:25:10.

certainly going to be the case on Saturday morning. Those showers

:25:11.:25:13.

continue to be driven in from the west on that breeze. But there is

:25:14.:25:18.

some good news because as we head into words the afternoon of those

:25:19.:25:23.

showers will start to finish out, the breaks will start to open up

:25:24.:25:28.

just a little bit, the sunny spells will get longer, temperatures still

:25:29.:25:33.

on the cool side. Certainly, the day ends better than it began.

:25:34.:25:37.

Overnight, the odd shower will continue to work its way in and

:25:38.:25:41.

those night-time temperatures are quite low. At this time of the year,

:25:42.:25:49.

we would normally expect a big area of high pressure to be setting

:25:50.:25:52.

higher up in the Atlantic giving us a shield to our weather. That is not

:25:53.:25:58.

the case this year. That being said, Sunday is not looking too bad a day.

:25:59.:26:03.

It will be a drier day although there will be some rain towards the

:26:04.:26:07.

night-time. The odd shower but much more in the way of drier, brighter

:26:08.:26:11.

conditions and that will help with the temperatures on Sunday.

:26:12.:26:16.

Overnight though, the rain comes back and by Monday for the start of

:26:17.:26:21.

the new working week, that rain it could be pretty persistent and a

:26:22.:26:25.

soggy start. This is the picture for the next few days.

:26:26.:26:30.

We leave you with some of the pictures from the commemoration

:26:31.:26:32.

at the Ulster Tower in France this afternoon as they remembered

:26:33.:26:35.

the soldiers from the 36th Ulster Division who lost their lives

:26:36.:26:37.

in the Battle of the Somme which began 100 years ago today.

:26:38.:26:48.

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