Thiepval

:00:44. > :00:46.Good morning from Thiepval in northern France for our special

:00:47. > :00:49.coverage of events to mark the centenary of one of the most

:00:50. > :00:52.destructive battles in history - and one of the defining events

:00:53. > :00:58.of the First World War - the Battle of the Somme.

:00:59. > :01:01.For many, the Somme is the battle that symbolises the brutality

:01:02. > :01:05.and horrors of the trench warfare that cost so many lives.

:01:06. > :01:08.100 years ago today, at 7.30 on the morning

:01:09. > :01:11.of the 1st July 1916, British, Commonwealth and French

:01:12. > :01:16.troops launched their offensive against German positions.

:01:17. > :01:20.The battle would last 141 days - one million men would be killed

:01:21. > :01:24.or wounded or captured in four-and-a-half months

:01:25. > :01:28.of fighting along a 25-mile front on the plains of Picardy.

:01:29. > :01:39.There were almost 60,000 British casualties on the first day alone.

:01:40. > :01:42.So today at noon local time here in France - 11 o'clock

:01:43. > :01:45.in the UK - a major international event will be held to remember those

:01:46. > :01:52.In preparation for today's centenary, vigils have been held

:01:53. > :01:55.in the United Kingdom and here in France - they took place

:01:56. > :01:58.overnight as people reflected on the immense suffering and loss

:01:59. > :02:01.which are the hallmarks of the global conflict widely known

:02:02. > :02:07.At Westminster Abbey last night

:02:08. > :02:16.the National Vigil was led by Her Majesty The Queen -

:02:17. > :02:19.and there were other vigils observed in Wales,

:02:20. > :02:37.Scotland, Northern Ireland and throughout England.

:02:38. > :02:40.Here in France, at the Thiepval Memorial, Prince William,

:02:41. > :02:42.the Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry attended

:02:43. > :02:54.The vigils continued through the night until Zero Hour -

:02:55. > :02:57.7.30 this morning - when the men were sent

:02:58. > :03:07.This moment was marked across the United Kingdom

:03:08. > :03:28.Today, we'll be focusing on the events of the 1st of July

:03:29. > :03:32.1916 - but we'll also be talking about what happened in the 140 days

:03:33. > :03:36.that followed, until the 18th November.

:03:37. > :03:40.Thiepval is the site of the huge British memorial built to remember

:03:41. > :03:44.the 72,000 missing of the Somme - those with no grave.

:03:45. > :03:49.The event here will hear accounts of what happened - in poetry,

:03:50. > :03:54.music and presentations - and pay tribute to those who took part

:03:55. > :03:58.in the battle, explaining how the lives of millions of families

:03:59. > :04:04.were affected by the events on the Somme.

:04:05. > :04:07.So in the heart of the lovely countryside of Picardy -

:04:08. > :04:09.our thoughts today turn to the fateful events

:04:10. > :04:14.Let's join my colleague Dan Snow who can explain a little more about

:04:15. > :04:32.Some of the 10,000 guests arriving. Everyone is enthusiastic about

:04:33. > :04:42.taking part today. It strikes me here what a different scene this is

:04:43. > :04:46.to 100 years ago. Back then this was a maelstrom of violence. That

:04:47. > :04:51.monument is built on one of the strongest German positions. Two

:04:52. > :04:59.battalions of British attacked up that slope, now covered in wild

:05:00. > :05:07.flowers. The Salford Pals and Newcastle Commercials. They were

:05:08. > :05:12.excited, motivated and brave. But they were and they were sent in with

:05:13. > :05:18.the wrong tactics. They were massacred here. Beneath our feet the

:05:19. > :05:25.remains of that battle still lie. We will be back with Dan later.

:05:26. > :05:28.This event in Thiepval has been planned on a big scale,

:05:29. > :05:30.with thousands of guests, reflecting a desire to underline

:05:31. > :05:33.the scale of the fighting and the losses on the Somme in 1916.

:05:34. > :05:36.But there are other events taking place on a smaller scale.

:05:37. > :05:46.One of those services is coming to a close here in the shelter of the

:05:47. > :05:51.trees of Sheffield Memorial Park. It's honouring the Sheffield City

:05:52. > :05:56.Battalion which fought alongside the Barnsley anding rippingen to Pals.

:05:57. > :06:00.This park was created on the old British front line. This ditch is

:06:01. > :06:06.actually the remains of an old British trench. It was from here

:06:07. > :06:09.that thousands of men who were serving alongside other men from

:06:10. > :06:13.their own communities would have scrambled up and walked across

:06:14. > :06:17.there. It was known as no-man's-land. The intimate nature

:06:18. > :06:24.of the services being held here today are a poignant reminder of the

:06:25. > :06:29.individual losses from that day, July 1st, 1916. What we had there

:06:30. > :06:34.were friends, relatives, colleagues, who had signed up together fighting

:06:35. > :06:39.together and often dying together and that meant back home you had

:06:40. > :06:46.complete families, entire streets, whole towns who were devastated and

:06:47. > :06:50.were forced to grieve together. One of the many smaller events

:06:51. > :06:55.taking place there in parallel with this big event at Thiepval.

:06:56. > :06:58.The offensive on the Somme had been planned in late 1915

:06:59. > :07:02.The French had intended a battle of attrition to drain

:07:03. > :07:05.and exhaust the German forces - and in the process to make

:07:06. > :07:08.The British commander-in-chief - Sir Douglas Haig - was keen

:07:09. > :07:10.to launch a major offensive, though not necessarily

:07:11. > :07:19.Dan Snow explains how the Somme offensive came about.

:07:20. > :07:21.From the November of 1914, bitter deadlock had

:07:22. > :07:30.The Central Powers and Allies held each other at bay in a line

:07:31. > :07:32.of trenches that stretched from the Swiss border

:07:33. > :07:39.France and Britain planned a joint offensive.

:07:40. > :07:44.But when the Germans attacked Verdun, the French had to defend.

:07:45. > :07:47.So be leading role in the Allied attempt to break through the lines

:07:48. > :08:00.Our force was dominated by volunteers from Kitchener's

:08:01. > :08:02.army and, for many, this was to be their first

:08:03. > :08:08.To pave the way for success, Britain's industrial might had been

:08:09. > :08:11.set on a war footing, producing unprecedented amounts

:08:12. > :08:14.of munitions that began battering German trenches.

:08:15. > :08:22.For seven days and seven nights, over one and a half million

:08:23. > :08:25.shells rained down on the enemy and when,

:08:26. > :08:37...the whistles blew and our soldiers went over the top.

:08:38. > :08:39.The 1st of July 1916 became the bloodiest day

:08:40. > :08:49.Nearly 20,000 men were killed and over 35,000 were wounded

:08:50. > :08:57.Vicious fighting continued as the names of woods,

:08:58. > :09:02.farms and fields became forever attached to the battalions

:09:03. > :09:09.who traded their lives for these tiny parts of France.

:09:10. > :09:13.During the four and a half months of the battle,

:09:14. > :09:16.both sides paid a heavy price as more than one million

:09:17. > :09:20.Commonwealth, French and German soldiers were killed,

:09:21. > :09:27.As winter set in, temperatures plummeted and rain

:09:28. > :09:40.The Allies had gained just six miles.

:09:41. > :09:43.On the 18th of November, the order was given

:09:44. > :09:46.for the British Army's offensive to stop.

:09:47. > :09:49.The mud and cold had become too much.

:09:50. > :10:05.Dan there explaining a little of the military context for us and some of

:10:06. > :10:08.the reasons why the biggest allied offensive on the Western Front took

:10:09. > :10:15.place here in the region of the Somme.

:10:16. > :10:17.I'm joined by three guests with a rich blend of knowledge

:10:18. > :10:21.Baroness Shirley Williams - the former Cabinet Minister whose

:10:22. > :10:23.mother Vera Brittain described her experience as a nurse

:10:24. > :10:26.in the Great War in 'Testament of Youth' - and whose uncle

:10:27. > :10:28.Edward Brittain was awarded the Military Cross on the first day

:10:29. > :10:32.The historian Dr Heather Jones - a specialist in First

:10:33. > :10:35.World War Studies at the London School of Economics.

:10:36. > :10:37.And I'm also joined by the author and historian Richard van Emden

:10:38. > :10:40.who in the course of his work has interviewed over 270

:10:41. > :10:51.Can I say it's a great pleasure to have you all with us. Shirley, can

:10:52. > :10:54.we start with some of the letters written by your mother and by

:10:55. > :10:58.Edward. They underline the fact there was an awareness of a

:10:59. > :11:04.gathering storm. They knew what was coming. But they must not really

:11:05. > :11:14.have imagined the extent of of it. They couldn't have done. They use

:11:15. > :11:21.saying the celery was ripe. My mother was at that time in the

:11:22. > :11:25.London First General Hospital in London, learned from her brothers,

:11:26. > :11:28.sometimes just a postcode, a couple of sentences, had a good idea of

:11:29. > :11:33.what was going on and much better than her parents could have had.

:11:34. > :11:37.Edward came out as a young officer and when he got to the front he

:11:38. > :11:40.discovered that probably half the officers who were slightly older

:11:41. > :11:47.than him had already been killed or wounded. So what happened to him

:11:48. > :11:52.happened to a lot of young men who had come more or less from 6th form

:11:53. > :11:55.at school and found themselves in months captains and First

:11:56. > :12:01.lieutenants with huge responsibility of their men and in his case he

:12:02. > :12:06.described what happened to him himself and I can give you a quick

:12:07. > :12:10.account. He found himself as the leader of his men after a couple of

:12:11. > :12:15.other officers had been killed, he then got to the front, this was the

:12:16. > :12:18.first day of the Somme, and discovered that as he was in the

:12:19. > :12:23.second wave, he was supposed to be the first wave that went ahead of

:12:24. > :12:26.him, the first wave were largely wounded and they poured back into

:12:27. > :12:30.the trench to escape from the effects of the shells. They were

:12:31. > :12:35.already wounded but they couldn't fight on. The second wave turned out

:12:36. > :12:40.to be panic-stricken and again forced back into the trench. He then

:12:41. > :12:44.had to persuade his men to go over the top. He tells a touching story

:12:45. > :12:48.about how he went back once and they wouldn't follow him. He went back a

:12:49. > :12:53.second time and they wouldn't follow him. The third time he forced them

:12:54. > :12:57.to go over the top. He says, he wouldn't want the VC for doing that

:12:58. > :13:01.again, it was so awful. When he went over the top the second time he then

:13:02. > :13:08.had to lead the men by going first into no-man's-land. He managed to

:13:09. > :13:12.make 20 yards before he was shot. He was then - fell into a shell hole to

:13:13. > :13:16.try and recover at least his strength. Fought his way back to

:13:17. > :13:24.going on, got hit a second time, this time in the arm badly. And

:13:25. > :13:29.finally managed to rest in a few hours I suppose, and then crawled

:13:30. > :13:33.back through the no-man's-land. He tells his sister this terrible story

:13:34. > :13:37.about how he came across the hand of a man who had been shot that morning

:13:38. > :13:42.going green and yellow and then he said in a sort of public school way,

:13:43. > :13:45.that made him give a spurt on because he was so horrified by what

:13:46. > :13:49.he had seen. He later got the Military Cross for what had happened

:13:50. > :13:53.but I don't think he could have imagined for a moment that was going

:13:54. > :13:58.to be what the war was like. Shirley's contribution there really

:13:59. > :14:03.does help us to understand really why the name of the Somme is assumed

:14:04. > :14:06.- has assumed powerful resonance really throughout the world but

:14:07. > :14:12.certainly for us in the UK, Heather. Indeed. It's become a touchstone for

:14:13. > :14:15.all the carnage of the First World War, many military mistakes made,

:14:16. > :14:18.much of the shock at the loss of innocents, many of these men were

:14:19. > :14:24.volunteers. They had volunteered to fight in 1914. Some were regulars,

:14:25. > :14:27.but the majority were untried volunteers who had come out and

:14:28. > :14:32.didn't have to be here in a sense. This sense of shock that war was not

:14:33. > :14:35.the war they had imagined in 1914, it was carnage. Shirley mentioned

:14:36. > :14:39.the wounded and it's important to think many of the wounds were

:14:40. > :14:44.life-changing injuries. We think of the dead, particularly on the first

:14:45. > :14:50.day of the Battle of the Somme, high numbers, just about 20,000. Wounded,

:14:51. > :14:54.losing limbs, losing the ability to work physically in a culture where

:14:55. > :15:00.working-class men had to work with their bodies. It was devastating for

:15:01. > :15:04.them. Richard, underline for us for viewers joining us and who may not

:15:05. > :15:08.be aware of the story of the first day of the Somme in its horror and

:15:09. > :15:10.brutality, underline for us what happened on that day in terms of

:15:11. > :15:22.losses. The losses were extraordinary,

:15:23. > :15:25.unprecedented, 20,000 killed and 40,000 wounded. The intention was to

:15:26. > :15:29.break through the German first line, and then go another two miles and

:15:30. > :15:33.break through the second wine and then be in open country. The

:15:34. > :15:38.artillery that was supposed to have killed the Germans in the front line

:15:39. > :15:42.Sibley hadn't so when the British attack, the artillery lifted onto

:15:43. > :15:46.the German second-line meaning the men attacking the first line were

:15:47. > :15:50.exposed to deadly machine gun fire. There was nothing to keep down the

:15:51. > :15:53.heads of the Germans, hence the casualties. We will talk more about

:15:54. > :15:59.the scale of the battle and what went wrong and some of the personal

:16:00. > :16:03.experiences. What I would like to do now is underlying one element of

:16:04. > :16:07.what happened on that day. So on that first day alone,

:16:08. > :16:09.there were over 57,000 British victims of the battle - a third

:16:10. > :16:12.of them killed, the others injured

:16:13. > :16:17.or taken prisoner. It remains a one-day record

:16:18. > :16:20.for the British armed forces. Many more lived to recount

:16:21. > :16:23.the horrors of that first day - and in the decades that followed,

:16:24. > :16:25.they were asked to record their memories of going 'over

:16:26. > :16:33.the top' in the summer of 1916. Well, it was a rather terrifying

:16:34. > :16:36.sight from the front line, because we opened up

:16:37. > :16:38.with a terrific bombardment to try and

:16:39. > :16:42.break through the wire. I can only say that I have never

:16:43. > :16:48.been so excited in my life. This was like a boy going

:16:49. > :16:51.to the play for the first time. Suddenly the whole earth heaved,

:16:52. > :16:59.and up from the ground came the silhouettes of great, dark,

:17:00. > :17:17.cone-shaped lifts of earth. He was walking up and down

:17:18. > :17:20.the trench there, and of course, he was bulled up with rum,

:17:21. > :17:23.and he was saying: "Ten minutes, When the order came,

:17:24. > :17:30.about 4:45: "Number one, William, over," and over

:17:31. > :17:36.I went in the first wave. Then somebody shouted,

:17:37. > :17:40."There they go, and I looked over to the left, and here were

:17:41. > :17:43.the London Scottish running forward. Well, they allowed us to come

:17:44. > :17:53.about a quarter of a mile, say, about that, before

:17:54. > :17:56.they started peppering us. And my God, they didn't

:17:57. > :18:02.half pepper us. Three of our chaps

:18:03. > :18:06.had just got over. They'd been hit with a machine gun,

:18:07. > :18:41.and they were still in their firing So moving and powerful to hear those

:18:42. > :18:46.voices all those years later. And how grateful we are now that the

:18:47. > :18:51.effort was made to record them in the 60s, 70s and 80s, because they

:18:52. > :18:55.were such powerful stories to tell. When you listen to those men and

:18:56. > :19:00.their experiences, Richard, at what point in the early days of the

:19:01. > :19:04.Battle of the Somme, did they realise, and surely has given us

:19:05. > :19:08.some sense of the first and second waves, what point did they realise

:19:09. > :19:13.it was all going badly wrong? They knew very early. If you were in a

:19:14. > :19:18.front line trench you would see very quickly. I remember one veteran who

:19:19. > :19:24.was a serving officer who said, he watched them all go over, saw them

:19:25. > :19:27.live down, and I thought, have they got new orders, as something

:19:28. > :19:32.changed? And then it hit him, that they were casualties, dead. The

:19:33. > :19:40.offices close by with no quickly that things were unravelling at

:19:41. > :19:45.speed. The officers further back, it would take a fewer hours, and

:19:46. > :19:50.sometimes they would think there was partial success when there wasn't.

:19:51. > :19:56.In the front line, very rapidly. How quickly did the news started get

:19:57. > :20:02.home, and how quickly were people aware it was going badly wrong? I

:20:03. > :20:08.don't think for several days or weeks. Very often what they picked

:20:09. > :20:11.up were clues from postcards. One of the amazing things was the

:20:12. > :20:15.extraordinary success of the postal service, getting letters to the

:20:16. > :20:19.front within a day or two of being written, quicker than newspapers. It

:20:20. > :20:24.meant people were piecing together tiny clues to get some idea of what

:20:25. > :20:29.had happened to their sons and husbands. That really took a long

:20:30. > :20:36.time to come through. The press was reporting this as a big push, a

:20:37. > :20:41.great victory, very exciting, and it's the casualty lists that gives

:20:42. > :20:44.it away. The names were published in the newspapers in the First World

:20:45. > :20:48.War, so people were seeing the length of the lists and seeing the

:20:49. > :20:56.cost, men from the same family being killed. The scale, one in five of

:20:57. > :21:00.those soldiers going over the top on the first day of the Battle of the

:21:01. > :21:03.Somme, was killed. You could have five pages of a newspaper which was

:21:04. > :21:08.full of nothing but the names of people who were killed. A lot of men

:21:09. > :21:13.were being shunted back to England with minor wounds and were turning

:21:14. > :21:20.back up at home and in hospital and saying how bad it was. My uncle

:21:21. > :21:28.turned up at the hospital where my mother was a nurse. The message came

:21:29. > :21:32.through, I think that your uncle might be somewhere in the office

:21:33. > :21:36.of's award. She had to get permission from being a nurse, time

:21:37. > :21:42.off, to go and see her brother. It was an extraordinary coincidence.

:21:43. > :21:49.Very remarkable. At this point, let's establish the fact that we

:21:50. > :21:53.always mention with the First World War, the way every community was

:21:54. > :21:56.affected, because of the scale of the numbers. There wasn't a

:21:57. > :22:01.community in the UK that wasn't affected by the scale of what was

:22:02. > :22:06.going on. That has kept later by the memorials going up in every town and

:22:07. > :22:13.village of the country. Also the system of morning, people wearing

:22:14. > :22:20.black, but in black on the door knockers. People pulling the blinds

:22:21. > :22:36.and curtains. Houses showing the sign of mourning. People people

:22:37. > :22:42.volunteered in pals' battalions. People who knew each other all going

:22:43. > :22:48.together. In one case a man shouted from a wounded train when he was

:22:49. > :22:52.asked about the men of the town, he said, they all dead. The rumours

:22:53. > :23:02.were spreading and people were aware it wasn't a success. There is an

:23:03. > :23:09.amazing last sentence of the famous poem, at each slow dusk, the drawing

:23:10. > :23:10.down lines. It is a culture of mourning we don't have the same way

:23:11. > :23:12.these days. Much of what we know today

:23:13. > :23:15.about life in the trenches Many of the soldiers in the trenches

:23:16. > :23:19.kept diaries - even though it was discouraged - in case

:23:20. > :23:23.they fell into enemy hands. And today some of those diaries

:23:24. > :23:26.are still in the safe keeping Frank Meakin was my

:23:27. > :23:39.husband's grandfather. The diaries - they are very

:23:40. > :23:42.difficult to read. I love the fact that when Frank sat

:23:43. > :23:50.and wrote them in the trenches, he didn't know what was

:23:51. > :23:55.going to happen to him. At about 7:15am, I looked over

:23:56. > :24:05.to see what the section on the right had done,

:24:06. > :24:08.and saw Wardell standing up dead Then I saw the first wave

:24:09. > :24:14.going over, so we got into the front The diaries were written by my uncle

:24:15. > :24:25.Roddy Robinson. My imagination went into overtime

:24:26. > :24:29.when I met Roddy for the first time. Both his arms had blue

:24:30. > :24:38.patches of shrapnel. Stood to in the assembly trenches,

:24:39. > :24:42.and a very heavy bombardment, I only went about 300 yards

:24:43. > :24:53.when I got hit in the foot and head. Unexpectedly came out

:24:54. > :25:01.with this diary, and almost threw it at me, saying,

:25:02. > :25:04."Here, lad, you might be Leeds got slaughtered as soon

:25:05. > :25:10.as they got on top. The boys fighting

:25:11. > :25:18.like men possessed. Hutchinson badly wounded,

:25:19. > :25:24.and Ben Parker killed. When I hold this, it

:25:25. > :25:33.transports me back. To think that on the morning

:25:34. > :25:39.of the 1st of July, when he went over the top,

:25:40. > :25:43.he actually had these diaries in his breast pocket,

:25:44. > :25:46.you have a direct link It's only a diary, but I found it

:25:47. > :25:55.tremendous inspiration, to get to know my father better,

:25:56. > :25:59.and to really understand The words of three descendants that

:26:00. > :26:17.have travelled to France at Thiepval in preparation for this

:26:18. > :26:31.morning's commemorations. Dan is with Rachel Smith who has

:26:32. > :26:33.also joined us today to remember her family members that

:26:34. > :26:43.fought on the Somme. I have been chatting with the

:26:44. > :26:49.descendants, Richard is with me. Why did you want to come out here today?

:26:50. > :26:56.I am researching my relatives and we have a number of them who fought in

:26:57. > :27:03.the First World War, so we thought it was thing to apply for the ballot

:27:04. > :27:08.to come to this ceremony today. In a way it's a great atmosphere here

:27:09. > :27:12.today. It feels like we are commemorating the huge contribution

:27:13. > :27:15.they made. And talking to people and finding out their stories has been

:27:16. > :27:22.fantastic, the best part of the morning so far. We have talked about

:27:23. > :27:28.people, talks about their relatives, our relatives. So far, it's been

:27:29. > :27:34.first class. You have served, what was your service? I was with the

:27:35. > :27:41.Royal mechanical engineers and was a officer class one at the end. You

:27:42. > :27:46.are wearing your ancestor's medals. My great uncle served in the Somme

:27:47. > :27:50.area and was killed in 1918 on the second day of the German offensive.

:27:51. > :27:57.The massive German offensive that steam-rollered through this area.

:27:58. > :28:04.The fighting was awful, but is the war didn't stop there. We researched

:28:05. > :28:08.his story, and we followed his story on the last day of our trip in a

:28:09. > :28:11.couple of years ago. We went to where the trench was, and moved to

:28:12. > :28:19.where we believed he was killed, and it was very moving, I must admit. We

:28:20. > :28:24.went to the memorial where he is remembered. That's how we finished

:28:25. > :28:28.that trip. Your experience is mirrored by hundreds of thousands of

:28:29. > :28:36.others through the years. Thank you for your memories, enjoy the

:28:37. > :28:45.ceremony, Richard. STUDIO: A great view of the memorial at Thiepval.

:28:46. > :28:49.Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour leader is there today, alongside Emily

:28:50. > :28:54.Thornberry, a Shadow Cabinet colleague. And the First Minister of

:28:55. > :29:01.Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, who has just arrived for the event. All of

:29:02. > :29:06.them proud to represent their parts of the United Kingdom. Jeremy Corbyn

:29:07. > :29:09.representing the labour movement, and also London. Nicola Sturgeon

:29:10. > :29:19.representing all those Scottish troops who fought. Cardinal Cormac

:29:20. > :29:21.Murphy O'Connor, the former Archbishop of Westminster, the

:29:22. > :29:26.former leader of Catholics in England and Wales. Some 10,000

:29:27. > :29:52.people we think will attempt today. Richard van Emden is still with me -

:29:53. > :29:54.and we've been joined by Dr Glyn Prysor, Chief Historian

:29:55. > :30:00.at the Commonwealth It's a huge privilege to be hosting

:30:01. > :30:05.this event and it's great to see people exploring the cemeteries and

:30:06. > :30:10.memorials and discovering more about this battle and war. When people go

:30:11. > :30:13.about looking for a name, they might be aware that somebody had been

:30:14. > :30:18.involved in something like the Battle of the Somme. To what extent

:30:19. > :30:22.can you help them with their search? Most people who thought he survived,

:30:23. > :30:26.but many didn't, around a million from across the British Empire lost

:30:27. > :30:31.their lives in the First World War. If you have the name of somebody who

:30:32. > :30:34.you think might have died, go to the commission's website, and it has a

:30:35. > :30:39.database of all those who lost their lives. You can also find out more

:30:40. > :30:45.information, the unit they served with and perhaps details of the next

:30:46. > :30:49.of kin, and where they are commemorative, a cemetery or grave

:30:50. > :30:57.or a memorial. We are seeing images of the memorials. We talked about

:30:58. > :31:01.the fate of the 38th Welsh division the other day. The work that goes

:31:02. > :31:06.into maintaining these, they are in such good condition. It's a

:31:07. > :31:12.privilege to visit them as well. In terms of visiting the region itself.

:31:13. > :31:16.The richness of the stories you come across and the fact people bring so

:31:17. > :31:20.much of their personal experience to them, it's surely part of the

:31:21. > :31:25.privilege of the job, learning more about people's contributions.

:31:26. > :31:30.It's great people are still discovering stories. As soon as you

:31:31. > :31:34.start looking at personal stories you realise the diversity of the

:31:35. > :31:39.experience. On the memorial behind me with 72,000 names with no grave,

:31:40. > :31:43.the youngest is 15, the oldest is 59. People doing all kinds of roles

:31:44. > :31:49.from engineers to artillerymen, medics and people from all walks of

:31:50. > :31:53.life. The Prime Minister's son died on the Somme. As soon as all kinds

:31:54. > :31:57.of people from across the country and the British Empire, as well. The

:31:58. > :32:03.network is interesting for us because we heard mention a few

:32:04. > :32:07.moments ago of the Pals Battalions and again that really can broaden

:32:08. > :32:12.our perspective as to how people got involved in this battle here and

:32:13. > :32:17.indeed in the war effort, kitchenary's great drive which was

:32:18. > :32:23.hugely successful. It was successful. It was, in August and

:32:24. > :32:27.September 1914 the British Army took in vast numbers of men, but so many

:32:28. > :32:31.of them were sort of filtered through into these battalions that

:32:32. > :32:34.were raised from local communities, from towns. It became a source of

:32:35. > :32:38.pride for that community and a source of pride not only to raise

:32:39. > :32:42.one battalion but then two, three. It was a great way of getting into

:32:43. > :32:47.the Army at that time to serve with your mates, to serve with friends

:32:48. > :32:50.and those that you sang in the Church choir with or played football

:32:51. > :32:54.with. The tragedy, of course, is when they came here, if that

:32:55. > :32:59.battalion was hard hit, then so would be that Borough and town.

:33:00. > :33:03.Let's pause for a second. There are live updates available on all the

:33:04. > :33:11.commemorations happening, not just here in France, across the UK. Look

:33:12. > :33:14.at our live page. If you go to that page you will get updates on all of

:33:15. > :33:16.the events happening and indeed background information too. It's

:33:17. > :33:18.well worth looking at that. The Commonwealth War Graves

:33:19. > :33:21.Commission help to maintain a number The Sheffield Memorial Park is one

:33:22. > :33:25.of the most popular locations It stands in commemoration

:33:26. > :33:44.to a number of Pals battalions. I am with Roy millington whose

:33:45. > :33:46.father was a stretcher-bearer collecting casualties from the

:33:47. > :33:51.battlefield. Tell us about his experiences. Yes, it was pretty

:33:52. > :33:57.dreadful for him. There had been rain and rain and rain. It was the

:33:58. > :34:04.third August, late on in the battle and then further on it was 3rd

:34:05. > :34:11.September when in fact they launched the attack and the whole area was a

:34:12. > :34:14.massive mud and German casualties as well as British ones were strewn

:34:15. > :34:21.around the field. My father went out with his friend and the other

:34:22. > :34:25.stretcher-bearer. Shelling was so bad, mortar work and they decided

:34:26. > :34:33.they better take a shelter. They went into a fox hole and suddenly

:34:34. > :34:39.overhead a shell came over, buried the casualty and my father and

:34:40. > :34:42.knocked out the other stretcher-bearer who was wandering

:34:43. > :34:47.about the field and somebody rescued him. He said, well, looks as though

:34:48. > :34:54.the casualty's gone. Two days later, they were clearing the site and

:34:55. > :34:58.somebody says well he is not dead and that was my - and he was

:34:59. > :35:03.unconshuz. They took him to casualty clearing and then to base hospital

:35:04. > :35:06.and finally got taken home. Your father was discovered two days

:35:07. > :35:10.later. Two days later, yes, in a terrible state. He eventually

:35:11. > :35:15.recovered from his physical injuries but suffered from shellshock. How

:35:16. > :35:22.did that follow him through his life? He was in business, he found

:35:23. > :35:28.it very difficult at times. We went through the 20s and 30s under great

:35:29. > :35:33.stress. He couldn't bear to hear Chamberlain in 1939 speak about the

:35:34. > :35:44.declaration of war. That was all right until he said we are going to

:35:45. > :35:49.have a salary enforced. On 12st September 1940 Sheffield was

:35:50. > :35:58.blitzed. We were in the cellar, the lights went out, and the bombing and

:35:59. > :36:04.shelling started. At the top of the garden gradually there was a bomb

:36:05. > :36:11.blew the top of the house off and I can tell you what it's like, there

:36:12. > :36:16.was my mum on one end, I am on the other end, between us we have a

:36:17. > :36:19.father going through acute shellshock and when you see that at

:36:20. > :36:22.the age of 12 you will never forget it. It must have been hard to see.

:36:23. > :36:26.Thank you so much for telling us about your father. He will be in our

:36:27. > :36:30.thoughts today and thank you for talking to us. He did live to be 90.

:36:31. > :36:32.Thank you. We are glad he lived to be 90. Very

:36:33. > :36:36.nice there. It's essential to record

:36:37. > :36:38.that the losses on the allied side affected not just British and French

:36:39. > :36:41.families - in villages, towns and cities across the United Kingdom

:36:42. > :36:44.- they also affected communities Let's take the island

:36:45. > :36:47.of Newfoundland - then a British Dominion -

:36:48. > :36:49.now a part of Canada. The 1st Battalion Newfoundland

:36:50. > :36:51.Regiment was fighting The historian David Olusoga

:36:52. > :37:03.tells their story. Newfoundland was a self-ruling

:37:04. > :37:05.dominion of the British Empire. It had no standing army,

:37:06. > :37:09.but still, from the Christian, Catholic and Methodist boys' groups,

:37:10. > :37:11.volunteers poured forth. They trained on the island's sports

:37:12. > :37:15.grounds and in its fields, until the time came

:37:16. > :37:16.that they were sent This was to be their first

:37:17. > :37:30.engagement on the Western front. They'd presumed that

:37:31. > :37:34.the unprecedented bombardment would obliterate

:37:35. > :37:38.the German defences. What they didn't know

:37:39. > :37:41.was that the Germans who had been in the Beaumont Hamel area for 20

:37:42. > :37:44.months had dug deep into this ravine, right on the edge

:37:45. > :37:48.of the battlefield. From down there, they could shelter

:37:49. > :37:51.in deep bunkers that were immune At 7:20, a 40,000 pound mine

:37:52. > :37:59.was detonated just It was a clear statement of intent,

:38:00. > :38:07.and it gave the Germans a full ten minutes to prepare their positions

:38:08. > :38:15.before the first wave of the attack. Soon the bodies of dead

:38:16. > :38:19.and injured men overwhelmed the forward trenches,

:38:20. > :38:23.rendering them impassable. In the chaos and the carnage

:38:24. > :38:26.of the first hours of the battle, the order was given

:38:27. > :38:32.for the Newfoundlanders to attack. Today, this caribou marks the site

:38:33. > :38:37.where the Newfoundlanders were exposed to the German

:38:38. > :38:41.machine-gun fire. From here, they had to cross open

:38:42. > :38:44.ground before they could even They were the only figures moving

:38:45. > :38:50.on the whole of the battlefield, and machine-gun fire was pouring

:38:51. > :38:53.in on them from three directions. In the hail of bullets,

:38:54. > :38:57.the men were pushed together as they struggled to get

:38:58. > :39:01.through the narrow gaps that had The result was slaughter,

:39:02. > :39:08.but still the Newfoundlanders pushed Their adjutant, Captain Raley,

:39:09. > :39:15.later wrote: The only visible sign that the men knew

:39:16. > :39:18.they were under this terrific fire was that they instinctively

:39:19. > :39:22.tucked their chins into an advancing shoulder, as they had done so often

:39:23. > :39:25.when fighting their way home in a blizzard in some little outpost

:39:26. > :39:30.in far off Newfoundland. This small piece of land

:39:31. > :39:33.was littered with the bodies of the dead, while the wounded

:39:34. > :39:36.desperately struggled Among all the destruction of that

:39:37. > :39:48.day, no one knows how many lived, how many died,

:39:49. > :39:51.how many were injured. What we do know is that 800

:39:52. > :39:54.men from Newfoundland left their trenches over there,

:39:55. > :39:57.and by the next day, only 68 of them What happened here 100 years ago,

:39:58. > :40:28.in this small field, devastated So important to realise when the

:40:29. > :40:29.First World War started in 1914 Britain's influence in the world was

:40:30. > :40:33.still considerable. The Empire provided not

:40:34. > :40:35.just essential supplies. It also provided a supply of men

:40:36. > :40:48.for the armed forces. A very powerful story. One case and

:40:49. > :40:51.really opening up a world of a cross-section of what the Empire

:40:52. > :40:53.contributed. What was that Commonwealth contribution? I think

:40:54. > :40:57.you have to question whether or not the British Army could have been

:40:58. > :41:02.here, could have held 20% of the Western Front in 1916 if it hadn't

:41:03. > :41:06.been for the contribution that had already taken place, the Indians

:41:07. > :41:13.coming here in 1914. Britain was an empire and that empire was drawn in

:41:14. > :41:17.manpower in support in money, in logistics, to these fields in France

:41:18. > :41:19.and Belgium. In some ways there is almost no division between the

:41:20. > :41:24.British contribution and the imperial contribution. The majority

:41:25. > :41:28.of the Canadian soldiers had been born in Britain. Those connections

:41:29. > :41:31.were very, very deep. Is there a sense in which that contribution has

:41:32. > :41:36.been underplayed over the years or not? I think historians haven't done

:41:37. > :41:41.probably the job we should have in making sure we remember this was a

:41:42. > :41:45.war of empires, when Britain and France fought in these fields that

:41:46. > :41:48.was, Germany faced two empires. Germany was terrified about this.

:41:49. > :41:51.It's interesting the Germans in 1914, their biggest worry as the war

:41:52. > :41:57.was breaking out is if the British and French get into this, they're

:41:58. > :42:03.going to join them, the Armies from the Empire are going to come. They

:42:04. > :42:06.see it as a world war before we do. That's what they're scared of and

:42:07. > :42:11.they had a reason to be scared, because the men from Canada, South

:42:12. > :42:16.Africa, French soldiers fought and died in these fields and were

:42:17. > :42:22.critical. The Newfoundland story you tell us there, tell us more about

:42:23. > :42:25.the way those men considered their sense of duty, given they were

:42:26. > :42:29.living in a different part of the world, their bond, if you like and

:42:30. > :42:33.how they saw the bond with the United Kingdom? I think people in

:42:34. > :42:38.colonies like Australia and South Africa and Canada, they saw the

:42:39. > :42:42.Empire differently to people who had been recently drawn into the Empire

:42:43. > :42:46.in West Africa. A lot had family in Britain. Some had been born in

:42:47. > :42:49.Britain. Empire was imagined differently. There was an idea it

:42:50. > :42:53.was a community of nations and that they had a duty together and if

:42:54. > :42:58.Britain was at war, we were at war. That's difficult for us to

:42:59. > :43:02.understand these days. But that sense of the Empire being connected

:43:03. > :43:05.was very strong back then. Also, let's not forget these are young men

:43:06. > :43:09.and there is a certain sense this is going to be the great adventure of

:43:10. > :43:13.the world and that this part of France in the summer of 1916 is the

:43:14. > :43:19.most important place in the world and they want to be here. We forget

:43:20. > :43:23.people wanted to be out. It's important to underline. When we look

:43:24. > :43:27.at the kind of support network of the Empire, it's important to

:43:28. > :43:33.realise that we are not just talking in terms of manpower, we are talking

:43:34. > :43:36.in terms of all kinds of supplies. Well, the connections, the

:43:37. > :43:40.connections that had built the Empire were put to use when the war

:43:41. > :43:43.starts. When men moved from the Merchant Navy to the Royal Navy or

:43:44. > :43:47.they joined the Army to come here, other men from other parts of the

:43:48. > :43:51.Empire, often Africans or Indians, take their place. There is a huge

:43:52. > :43:58.logistical supply network that's global. The copper used to forge

:43:59. > :44:03.many of the shells and cartridges fired comes from the Congo. It's a

:44:04. > :44:04.global war of empires, we must never forget that. David, it's a pleasure

:44:05. > :44:09.to talk to you. Thank you very much. There will be thousands of guests

:44:10. > :44:11.gathering here in Thiepval today - ranging from heads of government

:44:12. > :44:14.and members of the royal family to military leaders and descendants

:44:15. > :44:18.of those who took part. And some of those descendants have

:44:19. > :44:31.come from all over the world. Let's join Dan again.

:44:32. > :44:37.The finest dressed men on the premises here.

:44:38. > :44:42.Tell us where you are from. Bermuda. That's the national formal dress?

:44:43. > :44:47.Yes, an adaptation of a British military dress for the warm weather.

:44:48. > :44:51.Turned into the business attire down there. It's brave, it's chilly here

:44:52. > :44:56.but hopefully the rain stays off. What's your connection with the

:44:57. > :45:05.battle here? My great-great uncle came as part of the Bermuda

:45:06. > :45:12.contingent. They were spread out along, and did their part in the war

:45:13. > :45:16.100 years ago. It's an honour to be here as a descendant. You are

:45:17. > :45:20.currently a serving soldier Yes, it's poignant really to bring the

:45:21. > :45:22.past into the present and carry it forward into the future. Alex,

:45:23. > :45:36.what's your connection? My uncle was a soldier in the Royal

:45:37. > :45:42.Bircher regiment, he passed away on the August 18 1916. It's an honour

:45:43. > :45:51.to be here. Why do you guys go to the trouble to go here today? I was

:45:52. > :45:54.coming to the UK anyway. I heard back home they were looking for

:45:55. > :45:58.descendants. A relative of mine passed away earlier this year and I

:45:59. > :46:01.looked at a family tree and saw a connection, and the last the day

:46:02. > :46:08.they were looking for nominations. It was quite lucky. Alex, why are

:46:09. > :46:19.you here? The governor had reached out to me and I knew Paolo from

:46:20. > :46:23.Bermuda. I was living in London, so it made sense for me to be here.

:46:24. > :46:33.More of the visitors in Thiepval al today, the great monument dedicated

:46:34. > :46:39.in 1932, dominating the landscape here in northern France. As Dan Snow

:46:40. > :46:44.was explaining, it stands on the spot of one of the most terrible

:46:45. > :46:47.conflicts in the history of the British Armed Forces, and indeed in

:46:48. > :46:53.the history of armed conflict worldwide. The Archbishop of

:46:54. > :47:03.Canterbury Justin Welby has just arrived. One of 10,000 people

:47:04. > :47:08.invited today. Representatives of different faiths, First Minister

:47:09. > :47:12.Nicola Sturgeon, joined by Welsh counterpart Carwyn Jones, and the

:47:13. > :47:18.First Minister of Northern Ireland, Arlene Foster, who will represent

:47:19. > :47:23.their parts of the UK. Later, David Cameron will be here as Prime

:47:24. > :47:28.Minister of the UK, joined by the Prince of Wales and Prince William

:47:29. > :47:31.and other members of the Royal family.

:47:32. > :47:34.By September 1916 - just two months after the start of the battle -

:47:35. > :47:38.There was no progress being made, and the British troops

:47:39. > :47:41.These days we often talk of 'disruptive technologies'

:47:42. > :47:43.when we come across developments which can transform forms

:47:44. > :47:48.brought its share of disruptive technology to the battlefield.

:47:49. > :47:57.As an artillery man in the Guards Division,

:47:58. > :48:02.we moved to the Somme about August 22 1916.

:48:03. > :48:05.There had been battles backwards and forwards.

:48:06. > :48:08.We'd lost a lot of men, and we hadn't gained as much

:48:09. > :48:16.We're stuck with this whole machine-gun business,

:48:17. > :48:18.as we can't make any advance without being pretty well murdered.

:48:19. > :48:21.Going over the top, and the sooner you get over there,

:48:22. > :48:27.Sometime about September, early September, one

:48:28. > :48:30.of the fellas came dashing up, he said, "Oh, this is it.

:48:31. > :48:41.We went down the roadway, and there were some tanks.

:48:42. > :48:44.We came back buoyed up - "Oh, this is it.

:48:45. > :48:47.Get a few of these lads over, and we're going to be

:48:48. > :48:52.On September the 15th, two tanks were given orders

:48:53. > :48:59.We'd volunteered for the job, and we had a go.

:49:00. > :49:02.We saw the tanks beginning to lumber, and they came up one

:49:03. > :49:06.behind the other, and of course, the first lot went sailing over

:49:07. > :49:08.the trenches, and we thought, if they can get through the third

:49:09. > :49:11.line defences, we can put the cavalry through, and the whole

:49:12. > :49:28.And our starboard guns were trained on about 400 bewildered Germans

:49:29. > :49:30.who were burrowing down like rabbits, seeking cover

:49:31. > :49:34.And Corporal Sanders said, "Where to, sir?"

:49:35. > :49:46.But I had in my path about 2000 dead British and German.

:49:47. > :49:48.An attempt to clear any British dead man from our path

:49:49. > :49:50.was impossible because of the shelling.

:49:51. > :50:07.I climbed back in the tank, and we ploughed over the lot.

:50:08. > :50:16.The searing experiences of a century ago. Really difficult to put that in

:50:17. > :50:20.the context of today. We are here in the heart of the glorious

:50:21. > :50:23.countryside of northern France, trying to imagine what the situation

:50:24. > :50:31.was here for all those men 100 years ago. Heather and David are with me

:50:32. > :50:37.now. It's worth pointing out that when the battle of the Somme started

:50:38. > :50:45.you had elements of old forms of warfare, not least cavalry, and then

:50:46. > :50:51.we had the tank, these two things came together, one gave way to the

:50:52. > :50:56.other. Exactly, the war of cavalry and U-boats and poison gas, but it

:50:57. > :51:01.was a point where military technology leaps ahead of military

:51:02. > :51:07.strategy and tactics. Nobody had any idea how to break the deadlock. The

:51:08. > :51:12.British, French and German, all the major powers on the Western front,

:51:13. > :51:19.launching attacks in 1916 that were in their own ways disastrous. It's a

:51:20. > :51:23.modern version of a siege. It's much easier to defend technology than

:51:24. > :51:29.attack. People looking at how to gain the offensive. The first day of

:51:30. > :51:33.the Somme was an example of that. The British trying to combine

:51:34. > :51:38.artillery at certain times. That changes as the battle goes on and in

:51:39. > :51:41.September they turn to the tank is a way of possibly breaking the

:51:42. > :51:47.deadlock. Caterpillar tracks could go over the barbed wire that

:51:48. > :51:53.couldn't be removed on the first day of the Somme. We realise the

:51:54. > :51:59.infrastructure needed to support this. It's a remarkable thing,

:52:00. > :52:04.entire city built with supply lines for the numbers of men involved.

:52:05. > :52:13.Indeed, temporarily railway tracks laid down to bring men to the front.

:52:14. > :52:20.You have a whole range of tumbling systems underneath the battle

:52:21. > :52:26.ground. The first day of the psalm you had the explosion of mines.

:52:27. > :52:33.Massive concrete German defences along the ridge where we are

:52:34. > :52:40.sitting, that protected them from the terrible bombardment of the

:52:41. > :52:43.British forces. It's a very long front with guns spread too thin

:52:44. > :52:49.along it, one of the reasons they don't succeed at the start of the

:52:50. > :52:53.battle. Lots of attempts to try to innovate and protect men better, and

:52:54. > :52:57.try to regain the offensive. If somebody was to ask what was the

:52:58. > :53:01.lesson learned in military and strategic terms in the four months

:53:02. > :53:05.of the Battle of the Somme, what would it be? I think the British,

:53:06. > :53:10.French and Germans all took different lessons from what happened

:53:11. > :53:16.in these fields. But it was a awful and tragic stepping stone. The

:53:17. > :53:24.answer to the stalemate on the Western front was in one piece of --

:53:25. > :53:28.wasn't one piece of technology. It was a lesson learned over many

:53:29. > :53:34.years. I think the lesson was coalition warfare. The French

:53:35. > :53:37.achieved their objectives. They had learned attritional war and had

:53:38. > :53:41.learned better tactics on the battlefield. The French hadn't

:53:42. > :53:44.learned that from their allies. By the end of the Battle of the Somme

:53:45. > :53:46.there was a better ability to exchange information.

:53:47. > :53:49.Let's join my colleague Sonali Shah with her guest

:53:50. > :53:58.I'm with Jack Wardle who has just laid a wreath at the Barnsley

:53:59. > :54:02.memorial. I see from your jacket that you are from a military jacket.

:54:03. > :54:10.What's your link to the Barnsley Pals? My grandfather and his two

:54:11. > :54:17.brothers worked in the colliery and joint in 1914, Lord Kitchener's

:54:18. > :54:29.army. They served in Egypt, and then on the first day of the Somme, they

:54:30. > :54:34.were in the battle for sea air. Your family was involved in the creating

:54:35. > :54:38.of the memorial here. For years we came to the trenches to page B to

:54:39. > :54:46.the Barnsley Pals. There was never a blow or real, just a piece of wood

:54:47. > :54:51.on the tree. -- never a memorial. My father wanted a proper memorial and

:54:52. > :54:54.got the ball rolling. He spoke to several foundations including

:54:55. > :54:59.Barnsley town hall. After a few years we got permission to do the

:55:00. > :55:06.top of the memorial stone and bring it down. We brought it down in 1998.

:55:07. > :55:12.Today we saw a ceremony that was very moving. It was very moving

:55:13. > :55:18.here, and I was very honoured to be here. Thank you for speaking to us

:55:19. > :55:24.on such a significant day for your family. We really appreciate it.

:55:25. > :55:29.This week is the first time I have been visiting the battlefields of

:55:30. > :55:35.the Somme. What has struck me is how peaceful it is here. Now the

:55:36. > :55:39.ceremonies have finished, the commemorations, the overwhelming

:55:40. > :55:43.sound is birdsong. Coming here reminds you of the lives not lived

:55:44. > :55:47.and the people left behind 100 years ago. The women who lost their sons

:55:48. > :55:52.and husbands, and all the children who had to grow up without fathers.

:55:53. > :55:56.The giant Thiepval Memorial bears the names of more than 72,000

:55:57. > :55:59.British and South African missing servicemen - those with no known

:56:00. > :56:07.They fell in the fields that surround us today, and their names

:56:08. > :56:10.are carved into the panels of the memorial - designed

:56:11. > :56:13.by Sir Edwin Lutyens and consecrated in 1932.

:56:14. > :56:16.It's built on a high ridge and can be seen for miles around.

:56:17. > :56:28.Kitty Morter lost her husband on the Somme.

:56:29. > :56:36.Very big and fair and he was all that a young woman would wish to see

:56:37. > :56:41.and we made our minds up that we would get married

:56:42. > :56:44.and we was very, very happy because we was very much in love.

:56:45. > :56:47.He thought the world of me and I thought the world of him.

:56:48. > :56:57.And I was terribly upset and I said I didn't want him to go and be

:56:58. > :56:59.a soldier because I didn't want to lose him.

:57:00. > :57:10.He said, there has to be men to go and fight for the women.

:57:11. > :57:13.Then he had to go overseas and I never saw him

:57:14. > :57:21.In the meantime, I was fully working at Noblett's leather works.

:57:22. > :57:24.Later on, I was getting ready to go to work,

:57:25. > :57:28.there was such a big knocking on the door

:57:29. > :57:32.and this voice shouted, open the door, the Gerries are here!

:57:33. > :57:35.And in he came, you know, all mucky and what have

:57:36. > :57:41.And he only got six days leave, so he didn't have very long.

:57:42. > :57:44.He says, now, Kitty, what would you like for a present?

:57:45. > :57:47.And I says, do you know, I've seen a beautiful hat

:57:48. > :57:55.I said, I would like it, but it was such a terrible dear hat,

:57:56. > :57:57.it was 19 and 11p and he said, well, come on.

:57:58. > :58:03.So, he bought it me, I took him to the works

:58:04. > :58:07.and they all shook hands with him and how pleased and proud I was.

:58:08. > :58:11.I went back to work afterwards and then I found out that

:58:12. > :58:18.And I worked there till I was seven months.

:58:19. > :58:22.On the Monday morning, I heard the postman come.

:58:23. > :58:29.I ran down in my nightdress and opened the door and snatched

:58:30. > :58:34.the letter off the postman and it was from his Sergeant and it

:58:35. > :58:36.just said, Dear Mrs Morter, I'm very sorry to tell

:58:37. > :58:41.Well, that was as far as I could read.

:58:42. > :58:46.You see, I couldn't read anything else.

:58:47. > :58:49.I don't remember the baby being born and I felt I didn't want to live.

:58:50. > :58:53.I'd no wish to live at all because the world had come to an end

:58:54. > :59:16.then for me, because I'd lost all that I've loved.

:59:17. > :59:25.Here we are on the morning of the 1st of July 2016. 100 years after

:59:26. > :59:34.the start of the Battle of the Somme in 1916. The congregation for the

:59:35. > :59:41.service, a big audience for the event itself, which will take place

:59:42. > :59:44.shortly. There we have the First Minister of Scotland having an

:59:45. > :59:56.animated conversation. We have other government guests here today.

:59:57. > :00:04.Lots of them watching the big screens. There is the First Minister

:00:05. > :00:11.of Wales ex-to Jeremy Corbyn. They're watching the Imperial War

:00:12. > :00:13.Museum film from 196. It's a remarkable archive, remshgable

:00:14. > :00:17.treasure. They're seeing that to give them a little bit of the

:00:18. > :00:22.context of the day. So they can reflect on that when the

:00:23. > :00:25.event happens and the poetry and music and presentations that will

:00:26. > :00:28.take place. Military leaders here. Heads of Government, heads of state.

:00:29. > :00:32.Indeed we are expecting the President of the French Republic,

:00:33. > :00:40.former President of Germany, David Cameron will be here, the Prince of

:00:41. > :00:44.Wales, the Duke of Cambridge. And unmistakable from the Royal

:00:45. > :00:48.Hospital in Chelsea, we have a contingent of Chelsea Pensioners and

:00:49. > :00:56.it's very good to see them here, as well.

:00:57. > :01:01.500 of the guests here today are descendants of those who fought.

:01:02. > :01:07.There are regimental representatives. There are

:01:08. > :01:10.representatives from across the UK, from across France and indeed

:01:11. > :01:15.countries of the former British Empire and today's Commonwealth.

:01:16. > :01:22.Lots of hard work has gone into preparing for today's event to make

:01:23. > :01:26.it a proper and appropriate reflection and tribute to those who

:01:27. > :01:30.fought on the Somme. A round of applause for the Chelsea

:01:31. > :01:37.Pensioners, which is always guaranteed.

:01:38. > :01:43.Some 8,000 members of the public have been invited.

:01:44. > :01:47.6,000 of them, roughly, tickets allocated to British citizens and

:01:48. > :01:53.that was via a public ballot. There was high demand for the tickets, as

:01:54. > :01:57.you can imagine. 500 Irish citizens and the President

:01:58. > :02:00.of the Irish Republic will be here today.

:02:01. > :02:05.And there are hundreds of French citizens too. I have to say, the

:02:06. > :02:10.welcome of French people in the Somme has been magnificent in the

:02:11. > :02:16.last few days. They want this event to be an

:02:17. > :02:21.appropriate and dignified event. They value the fact that people come

:02:22. > :02:25.here in their hundreds of thousands every year.

:02:26. > :02:30.To show their respect to the hundreds of thousands of people who

:02:31. > :02:35.died in this battle 100 years ago. So what we have now is a remounting

:02:36. > :02:41.of the vigil that was taking place overnight.

:02:42. > :02:45.It ended this morning at Zero Hour when those whistles blew in the

:02:46. > :02:50.trenches 100 years ago and the men were sent over the top.

:02:51. > :02:55.The formal overnight vigil ended at that time. What we have now is a

:02:56. > :03:01.remounting of that vigil before the commemorative event starts. This

:03:02. > :03:09.involves military representatives of seven nations. With close links to

:03:10. > :03:20.the Battle of the Somme, British, French, German, Irish, Australian,

:03:21. > :03:36.New Zealand and Canadian. Bow heads!

:03:37. > :03:47.A moment of silence at Thiepval. There we see the glorious vista of

:03:48. > :03:52.the countryside of Picardy on either side of this memorial.

:03:53. > :03:57.This is a great powerful statement in this part of northern France,

:03:58. > :04:03.dominating the skyline. A statement to anyone who comes

:04:04. > :04:07.within miles and sees this great monument, to the missing of the

:04:08. > :04:10.Somme, 72,000 of them named on the monument but representing, of

:04:11. > :04:14.course, many more who lost their lives or were badly injured in that

:04:15. > :04:18.battle. There will and guard of honour too,

:04:19. > :04:22.mounted very soon by the Irish Guards and we will also be seeing

:04:23. > :04:27.the Band of the Welsh Guards who will be taking part in the

:04:28. > :04:32.commemoration itself. So, the vigil has been remounted. Shirley and

:04:33. > :04:36.Heather are back with me. It's worth at this moment reflecting on the

:04:37. > :04:40.impact of the Somme on what was going on at home. The impact on

:04:41. > :04:46.communities at home. We talked earlier about the fact that the news

:04:47. > :04:49.took days to come through. But my goodness, when people realised the

:04:50. > :04:54.full scale of what was happening, that must have had a huge

:04:55. > :05:00.psychological effect on morale at home? I think village after village

:05:01. > :05:09.was hollowed out by the effect of removing all their young men. In

:05:10. > :05:14.particular, in some parts of the countryside you really got the

:05:15. > :05:19.desert that came instead, old people and young people looking forward to

:05:20. > :05:23.nothing expect the effects of bereavement for years to come. One

:05:24. > :05:27.of relatives committed suicide because he couldn't stand the loss

:05:28. > :05:30.of his son. Testimony weighed on him long after the war had ended and

:05:31. > :05:36.that happened to many people, not just shellshock but the effects of

:05:37. > :05:42.loss, huge effects of loss. Also in many cities an example of that we

:05:43. > :05:46.saw was South Shields where a whole industrial area emptied into a

:05:47. > :05:51.regiment that was then slaughtered. You are right, you got a very patchy

:05:52. > :05:55.different effect but in some places it was like an endless parching of

:05:56. > :06:01.emotion and feeling that lasted for a very long time. It was very moving

:06:02. > :06:05.listening to the widow who was working in the factory describing

:06:06. > :06:08.the sequence of events that led to her finding out that - and she was

:06:09. > :06:14.pregnant at the time, that her husband had been killed. But she

:06:15. > :06:19.represents many hundreds of thousands of people who suffered

:06:20. > :06:22.similar losses. Absolutely. Across Germany and the United Kingdom and

:06:23. > :06:25.all of Europe really at the time there are women experiencing this,

:06:26. > :06:28.getting news either from someone who served with their loved one or by

:06:29. > :06:35.letter or telegram to say that the person is dead. The shock of that

:06:36. > :06:40.letter arriving is very, very clear. Also the sense of masculine duty,

:06:41. > :06:44.this honour culture that existed in Edwardian Britain. Men felt they had

:06:45. > :06:47.to go to fight. That's been contested in 1916 because it's the

:06:48. > :06:52.year of the introduction of conscription. An attempt to share

:06:53. > :06:58.that burden of grief across the whole of the country. So, I think

:06:59. > :07:01.really she really explains many themes of what happened here and

:07:02. > :07:04.what happened in the war generally. One thing also that was mentioned

:07:05. > :07:09.clearly there is the memorial to the missing. One of the reasons why this

:07:10. > :07:12.battle and many battles were devastating is nobody actually knew

:07:13. > :07:16.where the missing were. Families lived on in hope that perhaps their

:07:17. > :07:22.loved one was one of the lucky ones who was a prisoner. Perhaps they had

:07:23. > :07:24.suffered terrible shellshock want was still alive somewhere. For years

:07:25. > :07:28.they couldn't accept the death because they couldn't see the body.

:07:29. > :07:33.This memorial had a clear function to give people a site to go to, to

:07:34. > :07:39.mourn those whose bodies were never found. There was another effect

:07:40. > :07:50.which has been written about much less and that was summed up by my

:07:51. > :07:55.mother. She wrote a poem, there were thousands upon thousands of young

:07:56. > :08:00.women given the attitudes and strict sexual behaviour at the time, who

:08:01. > :08:03.knew they would never marry, they would never have children. They were

:08:04. > :08:07.in a sense cast to the margins and that was something we never talk

:08:08. > :08:14.about. But it was a huge additional loss that was felt. She says in that

:08:15. > :08:17.poem, who will give me my children? It's a powerful image of women left

:08:18. > :08:20.wondering about their futures and class divisions came into play too.

:08:21. > :08:24.People were restricted in the pool of people they could marry in these

:08:25. > :08:27.cultures. So, it was very difficult for many of these women to find

:08:28. > :08:31.their own way into the future and some had to become more independent

:08:32. > :08:35.as a result. It's yet another dimension when we think of the

:08:36. > :08:41.concept of loss. It's another powerful dimension. It's losing your

:08:42. > :08:44.future. Of course. . We are nearing the time when this

:08:45. > :08:51.event will start. It's a good moment to join Dan again.

:08:52. > :08:57.The atmosphere here is very special. It's very unusual. Usually when we

:08:58. > :09:01.go and commentate on these events there are veterans surviving, but

:09:02. > :09:06.here there are no veterans and yet there is a huge bond. Everyone here,

:09:07. > :09:10.nearly everyone here, seems to have a personal connection with this

:09:11. > :09:14.battle. Perhaps someone who fought. There is a strong feeling that our

:09:15. > :09:18.lives, our lives have been affected by the people who fought in this

:09:19. > :09:22.battle. They continue to exert and influence on us even from beyond the

:09:23. > :09:29.grave. Whether it's our great-grandfather and the way that

:09:30. > :09:33.he raised his children. I have been talking and exchanging stories with

:09:34. > :09:38.so many people here. Lots of them know about my personal story which

:09:39. > :09:43.is my great-grandfather was a General here just up the line. Many

:09:44. > :09:49.of the men whose names on there are there because of the decisions made

:09:50. > :09:54.by my great-grandfather. By the same token my other great-grandfather was

:09:55. > :09:58.a doctor who served in this region and my great-grandmother was a

:09:59. > :10:06.nurse. We got the band coming in now. I think the ceremony is about

:10:07. > :10:13.to begin. That's a wonderful sight. That's the

:10:14. > :10:18.band of the Welsh Guards led by the Senior Director of Music of the

:10:19. > :10:23.household Division. They'll be providing lots of the music today.

:10:24. > :10:28.There we have the guard of honour provided by number one company 1st

:10:29. > :10:41.Battalion Irish Guards, captain of the guard of honour is Major Sprke.

:10:42. > :10:50.They're the ones responsible for this very smart display today.

:10:51. > :10:54.We have been watching lots of preparation for the last couple of

:10:55. > :11:01.days and they are taking great pride in representing the Household

:11:02. > :11:07.Division at this event today. The Guard of skaf honour making its

:11:08. > :11:10.way led by the Welsh Guards. Let's have a conversation before the

:11:11. > :11:13.event gets under way and it will be getting under way quite soon. David

:11:14. > :11:21.is back with me and Heather and Richard is here too.

:11:22. > :11:27.A thought about the experience that these men went through over the 141

:11:28. > :11:31.days of the battle. How they sustained themselves. In the

:11:32. > :11:34.conditions, maybe you can say something about the conditions,

:11:35. > :11:37.Richard, and how they managed to keep going, those who weren't

:11:38. > :11:43.injured or indeed some who were injured and managed to keep going.

:11:44. > :11:48.In your many, many conversations with veterans, over 200 of them,

:11:49. > :11:51.what did they say? Well, on one level it was the comradeship. You

:11:52. > :11:56.were there, you were there with your friends. You had to keep going.

:11:57. > :12:00.There was no other option. There was nothing else you could do. You kept

:12:01. > :12:05.faith with the people around you. I thought about a man today and it

:12:06. > :12:12.came back to me, he went over the top in July at a place not far from

:12:13. > :12:14.here, Highwood and the battalion suffered horrendous casualties, the

:12:15. > :12:20.first roll call I think there were 26 men. He came out of that

:12:21. > :12:23.uninjured and, my God, I have survived, I got through! Having

:12:24. > :12:28.survived something like that and then he said it hit him like a

:12:29. > :12:33.spade, oh my God, I have to do this again. This wasn't a one-off. I am

:12:34. > :12:38.not going home now. I continue and I continue until I am killed or

:12:39. > :12:42.wounded. That took a terrible toll psychologically on the men here. But

:12:43. > :12:49.they had no choice. They just had to continue. Even the injured, part of

:12:50. > :12:54.the med calm services job was to patch you up and send you out again.

:12:55. > :12:57.-- medical. If the injury took you to a regional hospital you could be

:12:58. > :13:01.back out here. Psychologically it was hard to recover from that. Men

:13:02. > :13:05.had to adapt and every veteran I have spoken to, not as many as

:13:06. > :13:08.Richard, they talk about a process of becoming a different person, of

:13:09. > :13:10.being hardened, accepting things that two years ago they wouldn't

:13:11. > :13:15.have dreamed of being able to tolerate. But they adapted. A

:13:16. > :13:24.thought about the way the battle progressed. We talked about

:13:25. > :13:27.stalemate and deadlock earlier. As we look into November, what were the

:13:28. > :13:37.circumstances in which the battle ended? Well, it ended in a morasse.

:13:38. > :13:43.A lot of people say it could have been called off in October.

:13:44. > :13:47.Certainly, the final fighting just over the ridge there on 13th

:13:48. > :13:52.November, that was a battle delayed from October. Simply because the

:13:53. > :13:57.weather was atrocious. The issue really for the British Army is how

:13:58. > :14:03.do you resupply these men? How do you - six miles now of absolutely

:14:04. > :14:07.horrendous soup effectively to get ammunition, to get water across. It

:14:08. > :14:10.is terrible. In the end, the weather simply forces it closed down.

:14:11. > :14:15.Obviously the Germans take the lesson they should carry out a

:14:16. > :14:19.strategic retreat after the Somme. In the spring of the following year

:14:20. > :14:26.they retreat back to lines easier to defend. Different lessons about how

:14:27. > :14:29.the men are going to endure. The Germans must protect it better. The

:14:30. > :14:35.British lesson is to train men better. You see by September in the

:14:36. > :14:39.Battle of the Somme better training, the troops, many Irish troops have

:14:40. > :14:41.better training on model battlefields before they're sent to

:14:42. > :14:46.the actual terrain where they're going to fight. A greater sense that

:14:47. > :14:53.you need to know the ground which was one of the big errors of July.

:14:54. > :14:57.We talked about the battle coming to an end, the territorial gain was

:14:58. > :15:04.very modest, it's fair to say. It's measured in miles. The idea of the

:15:05. > :15:08.breakthrough, this idea that behind the lines it's open country. The

:15:09. > :15:12.cavalry will come through, that's a fantasy. Britain and France learn

:15:13. > :15:19.that's a fantasy here in 1916. Thank you all very much.

:15:20. > :15:21.Nothing is more powerful than the experience of listening

:15:22. > :15:24.to the testimony of those who lived through the First World War - those

:15:25. > :15:27.who left behind thousands of friends and comrades who lie buried

:15:28. > :15:29.in countless cemeteries, and others whose names are carved

:15:30. > :15:34.So as we approach the commemorative service - let's pause to listen

:15:35. > :15:48.Mud in the trenches, mud in front of the trenches,

:15:49. > :15:57.Every shell hole was a sea of filthy, oozing mud.

:15:58. > :16:04.Company Sergeant Major Dick Thomas, he was an old rugby international

:16:05. > :16:10.forward, and he was a big, huge man, lying down in front of me.

:16:11. > :16:13.And he got up on his knees, and went down - killed like that.

:16:14. > :16:25.After the Germans had stopped shelling a little while,

:16:26. > :16:32.we heard one of their big ones coming over.

:16:33. > :16:34.Next, I found myself face downwards in the mud.

:16:35. > :16:39.He tried to lift me up, and I said to him, "Don't

:16:40. > :16:52.A friend and I were on fire step duty, and he said,

:16:53. > :16:54."Well, I'll take one last look," and he put his head

:16:55. > :17:02.He was shot straight through the forehead.

:17:03. > :17:08.And his body fell into the bottom of the trench.

:17:09. > :17:12.That was emotionally a shock for me, but it was one I had to survive.

:17:13. > :17:21.The next thing, I found myself sinking down in the mud,

:17:22. > :17:23.and this time, I didn't worry about the mud.

:17:24. > :17:29.It seemed like a protective blanket covering me,

:17:30. > :17:31.and I thought to myself, "Well, if this is death,

:17:32. > :17:46.The next day, we had to collect the pay books of our dead.

:17:47. > :17:49.As you rolled each man over, to get at his breast pocket,

:17:50. > :17:55.of course, you could see why he was dead, how he'd been killed.

:17:56. > :18:01.All the horror of war was in front of us there.

:18:02. > :18:06.I mean, we were all in the same boat together.

:18:07. > :18:28.So good to hear those voices as we approach this commemorative event

:18:29. > :18:38.here at the Thiepval memorial for the centenary of the Battle of the

:18:39. > :18:43.Somme. Shirley WIlliams, I know you have prepared a message for French

:18:44. > :18:48.people, because you have been telling me frequently over the last

:18:49. > :18:51.24 hours it's important to recognise the French contribution. Of course

:18:52. > :18:56.we are here to pay tribute to all the British lives lost, and all the

:18:57. > :18:58.people injured, but there is a great French contribution we need to

:18:59. > :19:06.recognise. You have done it in French. I will allow you to do it in

:19:07. > :19:19.French I will then attempt my own translation.

:19:20. > :20:00.I will attempt a translation. We are here in front of this great monument

:20:01. > :20:03.to pay tribute not only to the many thousands of British and

:20:04. > :20:06.Commonwealth soldiers who were killed and wounded, but also to

:20:07. > :20:13.honour the courage and bravery of the people of France, who endured

:20:14. > :20:19.such a great suffering. But they also earned a great victory. I pray

:20:20. > :20:27.and hope Europe will follow the path of peace and cooperation that we

:20:28. > :20:34.have enjoyed, benefited from, for the past 60 years. Lots of people

:20:35. > :20:37.listening will appreciate that message. Why is it so important to

:20:38. > :20:44.pay tribute to the French contribution? I think this was the

:20:45. > :20:48.point at which France in a sense through the line for civilisation.

:20:49. > :20:52.Although there was another world war that came after, again involving the

:20:53. > :20:58.French, what happened at the beginning of the period of peace

:20:59. > :21:03.between the two world wars, there was the realisation that if Europe

:21:04. > :21:08.was to survive and prosper, and also provide a future for its children,

:21:09. > :21:14.we had to learn the lessons of the wars and one of those major lessons

:21:15. > :21:18.was that it should but happen again. Heather, your perspective? I agreed.

:21:19. > :21:24.In the 1920s there is no real sense of impetus for European

:21:25. > :21:29.reconciliation, it does fail, but it leads to other things after 1945.

:21:30. > :21:37.You see the French and German sides aware of the need for

:21:38. > :21:42.reconciliation. There is a sense of needing to rebuild a better world,

:21:43. > :21:46.and this kind of carnage should never happen again. The battlefield

:21:47. > :21:53.behind me was a sight of immense human suffering and the skeletons

:21:54. > :21:59.are still sometimes dug up. In the 20s people were aware this was an

:22:00. > :22:02.appalling outcome of international relations and Europe needed to

:22:03. > :22:07.reconcile and move forward in a different direction. Can we say with

:22:08. > :22:13.confidence that the Battle of the Somme, which started in 1916, was it

:22:14. > :22:16.a turning point? By November of that year, could we say that we

:22:17. > :22:27.recognised it was a turning point or not? If by turning point you mean

:22:28. > :22:31.victory, a signal that we had learned a lot during the Battle of

:22:32. > :22:35.the sun, and those lessons were carried forward ultimately to

:22:36. > :22:40.victory, and it was a sign the Germans were not going to be able to

:22:41. > :22:45.resupply and bring forward new recruits in a way that was going to

:22:46. > :22:49.keep them in the war. So it was a turning point, but a very gradual

:22:50. > :22:54.turning point. We still had significant battles afterwards,

:22:55. > :23:01.before eventually in 1918 we had victory. It's the building blocks of

:23:02. > :23:05.success that we begin to get here, but it's still a long way off. It's

:23:06. > :23:15.the double whammy of the Battle of the Somme and Verdun that laid the

:23:16. > :23:19.foundation for the victory. This was the of introduction of steel helmets

:23:20. > :23:24.in these armies. It's a different understanding of warfare from 1914,

:23:25. > :23:28.the different kind of war, the lunar landscape, that's where the Somme

:23:29. > :23:32.and Verdun bring us to, and ultimately German can't win because

:23:33. > :23:35.it doesn't have the manpower. We also learned that the transformation

:23:36. > :23:39.of a country and continent takes a long time and we are still in the

:23:40. > :23:46.process of that transformation. But we have come a long way since 1918,

:23:47. > :23:51.thank God. I think all those who asked relatives and friends and

:23:52. > :23:57.lovers in the Somme can be proud of that. -- all those who lost. In

:23:58. > :24:01.terms of the resonance of the Somme, thinking about what happened 100

:24:02. > :24:05.years ago. We can focus on the centenary and it's what we can

:24:06. > :24:10.understand, but do you feel that in the years that followed after this

:24:11. > :24:15.centenary, as it becomes ever more distant, the Somme will lose some of

:24:16. > :24:20.that resonance? I'm not saying I want that to happen, but do you fear

:24:21. > :24:26.it? Inevitably the process of the passing of time begins to fade the

:24:27. > :24:31.colours and memories. To some extent I think we are looking at a new

:24:32. > :24:35.generation that only just remembers the Somme, and remembers it from

:24:36. > :24:41.books and films and not personal relations to grandparents. What we

:24:42. > :24:48.have to therefore remind ourselves of again, by looking at what

:24:49. > :24:52.happened at the Somme, were the colossal consequences, terrible

:24:53. > :24:54.losses and Aretha and, and now deciding to do something different.

:24:55. > :25:00.I think we are on the way to doing that. A message that lots of people

:25:01. > :25:05.will be applauding. We can have a look at the memorial itself and see

:25:06. > :25:15.what's happening. We have some of the elite French troops. Back with

:25:16. > :25:24.the band of the Welsh Guards. They are entertaining the crowd before

:25:25. > :25:30.the main, principal guests arrive. The musical duty has been shared

:25:31. > :25:36.between the Welsh Guards and the band of the French army. They have

:25:37. > :25:41.been hard at work in the last few days as well. I would go suck faster

:25:42. > :25:48.say there has been an edge of competition between the two bands.

:25:49. > :25:53.-- I would go so far as to say. They are keeping an eye on each other

:25:54. > :25:58.very sharply. They are taking turns to perform, and they are at the

:25:59. > :26:04.approach road to the memorial where we expect to see the president of

:26:05. > :26:10.the Republic arriving. Francois Hollande. The president of the Irish

:26:11. > :26:14.Republic, Michael D Higgins. David Cameron, Prime Minister of the

:26:15. > :26:18.United Kingdom. The Prince of Wales and the Duke and Duchess of

:26:19. > :26:23.Cambridge. Prince Harry will be here as well. They will be gathering near

:26:24. > :26:29.the spot where the bands are. The national anthems will be played, the

:26:30. > :26:34.United Kingdom and France, and then they will take their places among

:26:35. > :26:39.the crowd of thousands of people when the commemoratives event will

:26:40. > :26:43.take place. It's a clever and moving event of poetry and reading some

:26:44. > :26:49.performances, artistic performances. All of them will reflect the events

:26:50. > :26:53.of 100 years ago. There are lots of words in their taken from letters

:26:54. > :27:01.and poems written by those who took part. A round of applause for the

:27:02. > :27:42.Welsh Guards. And they are ready for the French military band.

:27:43. > :29:33.The Army band plays on while the president of the French Republic,

:29:34. > :29:44.Francois Hollande, arrives at Thiepval.

:29:45. > :30:00.Wearing his poppy, and the cornflour, the French version of the

:30:01. > :30:04.poppy. They have the collection every year, just as we have the

:30:05. > :30:09.poppy collections as well. The president wearing both today is a

:30:10. > :30:15.simple of this joint French and British event. The band of the Welsh

:30:16. > :31:05.Guards are starting to play again now.

:31:06. > :31:10.Vice-admiral there on behalf of the War Graves Commission greeting the

:31:11. > :31:22.President. Part of the British delegation.

:31:23. > :31:33.The head of the French armed forces. What's going to happen is the heads

:31:34. > :31:39.of Government and heads of state will gather at this point. They will

:31:40. > :31:45.wait there until all of the principal guests are here. Then the

:31:46. > :31:48.anthems will be played before they take their places in the crowd

:31:49. > :31:51.that's gathered here. They've been here by the way for a few hours,

:31:52. > :32:03.they've been waiting patiently for at least three hours at this point.

:32:04. > :32:11.President Hollande, who is facing an election contest in the not too

:32:12. > :32:16.distant future. He has been in power for four years virtually.

:32:17. > :32:35.All the signs are that will be a very competitive contest in France.

:32:36. > :32:41.Here we have part of the British presence here in Thiepval. We have

:32:42. > :32:46.the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry.

:32:47. > :32:52.Looking forward to the event. They were here last night. They were

:32:53. > :32:59.taking part in the vigil. It was started late last night and went on

:33:00. > :33:04.overnight, no fewer than 28 changes or rotations in that vigil which was

:33:05. > :33:09.started here at Thiepval and ended at Zero Hour, 7. 30am this morning,

:33:10. > :33:14.French time. The Duke of Cambridge, who gave a reading at that vigil

:33:15. > :33:20.service. Quite a short service, 20 minutes or so, but it was solemn and

:33:21. > :33:28.moving. Earlier, they enjoyed a bit of a guided tour of the site itself,

:33:29. > :33:30.with our previous guest here, Dr Glyn of the Commonwealth War Graves

:33:31. > :33:34.Commission who took them to the top of the memorial. There we have David

:33:35. > :33:41.Cameron, the Prime Minister, being greeted by President Hollande.

:33:42. > :33:47.It's difficult not to reflect at this point that it's one of the last

:33:48. > :33:51.events David Cameron will attend as UK Prime Minister, this kind of

:33:52. > :33:59.commemorative state event, given the events of the last week or so.

:34:00. > :34:03.David Cameron saw President Hollande at the summit in Brussels earlier

:34:04. > :34:12.this week. They had plenty to talk about.

:34:13. > :34:18.So, we are waiting now for the arrival of the former President of

:34:19. > :34:21.Germany, we are not expecting Chancellor Merkel today. We have a

:34:22. > :34:28.serving Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, we have a serving President

:34:29. > :34:34.of France, but we have a former President of Germany attending, who

:34:35. > :34:37.will be arriving shortly. Then we have after the arrivals we will have

:34:38. > :34:55.the Irish President joining us too. The Duchess of Cambridge there,

:34:56. > :35:03.interesting to point out that three of her great uncles were killed in

:35:04. > :35:13.the First World War, including one who was killed on 16th July 1916 at

:35:14. > :35:15.the Battle of the Somme, he was 24. Indeed, her great-grandfather

:35:16. > :35:19.supported front line troops as a driver at the Somme. So, there are

:35:20. > :35:35.all kinds of connections really today for us to reflect on.

:35:36. > :35:46.Prince Henry and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge greeting the

:35:47. > :36:06.former President of Germany. The former President here

:36:07. > :36:13.representing his nation, and we think of the half a million German

:36:14. > :36:18.casualties suffered during the Battle of the Somme. And that famous

:36:19. > :36:27.quote from a German field officer who described the Somme as the muddy

:36:28. > :36:32.grave of the German field Army. Sir Tim Lawrence there chatting to

:36:33. > :36:38.the Prime Minister. And the Duke of Cambridge. We are

:36:39. > :36:43.now waiting for the arrival of Michael D Higgins, the President of

:36:44. > :36:47.the Irish Republic. We think of the thousands of Irish

:36:48. > :37:02.lives lost too in the Battle of the Somme.

:37:03. > :37:15.As we expect Michael D Higgins to join us, he is arriving now,

:37:16. > :37:19.Heather, maybe a thought from you on what President Higgins' presence

:37:20. > :37:22.here today is signifying. I think it's very significant. The first

:37:23. > :37:26.official state commemoration of the Battle of the Somme in the Republic

:37:27. > :37:29.of Ireland took place in 2006. It's incredibly recent that people have

:37:30. > :37:33.started to talk about the memory of Irish soldiers who served in the

:37:34. > :37:37.British Army in the First World War in the Republic of Ireland.

:37:38. > :37:41.Obviously, there's always been a strong Ulster memory and every year

:37:42. > :37:46.a pilgrimage in a way here by those who lost relatives from the North.

:37:47. > :37:49.It has been less cross-community and recently it's become something

:37:50. > :37:56.that's shared by all Irish people looking at our common history in a

:37:57. > :38:01.complex and rich way. Two Irish divisions, 36th Ulster Division,

:38:02. > :38:07.16th Irish Division serving, as well as Irish battalions serving in other

:38:08. > :38:15.divisions, so a strong presence. Myingle D Higgins -- Michael D

:38:16. > :38:18.Higgins being greeted there by the other guests invited today,

:38:19. > :38:22.representing organisations, including the Commonwealth War

:38:23. > :38:32.Graves Commission, and other nations throughout Europe.

:38:33. > :38:36.So we have a growing gathering of heads of Government and heads of

:38:37. > :38:42.state and members of the Royal Family.

:38:43. > :38:55.I think we are now expecting the Prince of Wales to arrive and the

:38:56. > :39:22.Duchess of Cornwall and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester too. :

:39:23. > :39:30.A busy time for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. They opened a memorial

:39:31. > :39:35.to the visiting centre. They viewed the Somme tapestry which is there.

:39:36. > :39:41.They have been meeting British and French school children, as well. By

:39:42. > :39:45.the way, there will be 600 school children taking part in today's

:39:46. > :39:53.event. 300 French school children and 300 British. All across the UK,

:39:54. > :39:57.all parts of France. They will be appearing a little later taking

:39:58. > :40:07.their places in the cemetery, which is the other side of the memorial,

:40:08. > :40:12.the cemetery divided, on the left, French graves. The children will be

:40:13. > :40:18.laying flowers at each crosses and gravestones in that cemetery itself.

:40:19. > :40:21.It's a very beautiful tranquil site. The cross of remembrance dominating

:40:22. > :40:24.the scene there. There we have, as we look at this shot, we have the

:40:25. > :40:29.French graves on the right and the British graves on the left.

:40:30. > :40:35.The gravestones for the British and crosses for the French. The children

:40:36. > :40:38.will line throughout the rows of stones and crosses, they will line

:40:39. > :40:40.every junction and they will lay flowers at each of these crosses and

:40:41. > :40:53.stones. We will be waiting for the arrival

:40:54. > :40:57.of the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall and Duke and Duchess of

:40:58. > :41:02.Gloucester. Later on today the Prince of Wales will be attending a

:41:03. > :41:06.ceremony to mark the centenary of the Battle of the Somme at the

:41:07. > :41:11.Ulster memorial tower, and that's not far away. It's half a mile away,

:41:12. > :41:16.maybe. Not much more than that. It's visible from another part of the

:41:17. > :41:24.site here at Thiepval. They'll be attending there. Again, Heather,

:41:25. > :41:33.underlining the Ulster contribution, I am using the world Ulster, it's

:41:34. > :41:40.part of the regimental tradition. Very managed to achieve the aim of

:41:41. > :41:42.getting in and that monument represents their destruction and

:41:43. > :41:45.sacrifice they made. It's important for people in Northern Ireland,

:41:46. > :41:51.particularly from the unionist tradition where they really see

:41:52. > :41:58.themselves as part of that legacy of that sacrifice. The tower memorial

:41:59. > :42:02.here is a model of the tower back in Northern Ireland, it's a link to

:42:03. > :42:06.home for those who come here to remember those dead.

:42:07. > :42:13.I mentioned there were 300,000 visitors in a nrmal year, Richard.

:42:14. > :42:17.-- normal. That number has grown in recent years and that reflects the

:42:18. > :42:19.fact there is a sharper focus, I suppose. A growing interest in what

:42:20. > :42:26.happened in the Great War. Absolutely. I have been coming here

:42:27. > :42:34.since 1985 and I have just seen the numbers of people here grow and grow

:42:35. > :42:39.and grow. It just reflects the fascination that the British people

:42:40. > :42:42.have had for their relatives, for those last veterans we have seen on

:42:43. > :42:47.TV in the last 20 years. It's wonderful really. So many of them

:42:48. > :42:51.are school children too. It's so important that schools bring their

:42:52. > :42:56.classes out here to see and to really get a feel for the Somme and

:42:57. > :43:00.what happened here. Whether it will continue to grow after that 100th

:43:01. > :43:04.anniversary, I don't know, but it's been fantastic and wonderful to see

:43:05. > :43:09.for the last 100 years. Sorry, for the last 20 years I should say. It's

:43:10. > :43:14.not surprising, Shirley, because as I know with my own children, the

:43:15. > :43:19.curriculum often has been changed, and that also has in one case I know

:43:20. > :43:23.has focussed sharply on the events of the First World War, to do with

:43:24. > :43:27.Lloyd George and his munitions drive and then to do with political and

:43:28. > :43:34.military mistakes that were made but there is a lot of interest in that

:43:35. > :43:42.period. That's true. There is also a tremendously rich artistic heritage.

:43:43. > :43:43.One looks at the war poets from Owens and Sassoon, they're

:43:44. > :43:48.remarkable contributions to literature. On top of that, and one

:43:49. > :44:00.has to say a contribution to French and German literature, as well. Then

:44:01. > :44:04.things like that marvellous war requiem capturing in an

:44:05. > :44:09.extraordinary way suffering and sorrow and desperation of that First

:44:10. > :44:16.World War. We have such a legacy in literature, particularly from the

:44:17. > :44:21.Somme. We have the poetry of Robert Graves and Sassoon. They were both

:44:22. > :44:27.here on the Somme and their books are absolutely fantastic. But there

:44:28. > :44:31.is so much more. There is Other books that are lesser known. But are

:44:32. > :44:35.just superb pieces of literature. It's really helped to focus people's

:44:36. > :44:41.memories on the Somme, perhaps more than any other battle. I mentioned

:44:42. > :44:49.Lloyd George and the political context, let's not forget that we

:44:50. > :44:57.had a Prime Minister who lost a son, Asquith. We think of other prominent

:44:58. > :45:01.people who lost loved ones, but remarkable when we think that a

:45:02. > :45:04.Prime Minister, the impact of that in terms of public consciousness

:45:05. > :45:08.must have been pretty significant. It's very striking compared to some

:45:09. > :45:14.of the experiences of wars like the Vietnam war. The so-called elite

:45:15. > :45:18.lost their children just as much as the ordinary men and women who

:45:19. > :45:22.volunteered from Newcastle to Bristol. I think that's very

:45:23. > :45:26.important. It creates a sense of togetherness, of being in it

:45:27. > :45:30.together. It was very, very special. Indeed, statistically officers were

:45:31. > :45:35.more likely to die and more likely to die in a shorter space of time on

:45:36. > :45:39.the Western scant front because they had to lead, they were visible.

:45:40. > :45:43.Trench warfare became about because it protected you from the artillery.

:45:44. > :45:45.Once you went over the top you didn't have that shelter and

:45:46. > :45:50.officers were particularly vulnerable to that. I have always

:45:51. > :45:54.been fascinated by the fact that people think of the Generals sending

:45:55. > :45:57.up lads to their death and politicians, well, what do they

:45:58. > :46:09.care? They were so intimately involved in the Battle of the Somme,

:46:10. > :46:14.so many of those people all lost children and nephews and because of

:46:15. > :46:19.intermarriage of that social group too, one person's son was another

:46:20. > :46:23.politician's nephew. There was a huge loss amongst those people who

:46:24. > :46:29.knew exactly what the decisions they were making would cause.

:46:30. > :46:36.And much made of it by the more serious newspapers of the time,

:46:37. > :46:46.quite long obituaries of the young men and women who were born of the

:46:47. > :46:53.famous people. Asquith's Sun is buried close by to Asquith's nephew.

:46:54. > :46:58.We would love to have a microphone in this conversation, Jeremy Corbyn

:46:59. > :47:02.chatting with Carwyn Jones, the First Minister of Wales. I doubt

:47:03. > :47:07.they are discussing Labour business. Carwyn Jones might be telling him

:47:08. > :47:16.the fate of some of the poor Welsh volunteers. Interesting, I don't

:47:17. > :47:19.want to drift into a party political discussion, but it's a very

:47:20. > :47:28.turbulent time. Jeremy Corbyn determined to be here today. And to

:47:29. > :47:32.his credit, yes. I think we can mention politicians died here as

:47:33. > :47:44.well, Irish party MP Tom Mike Kettle died here in September in the Battle

:47:45. > :47:49.of the Somme. Looking at the carpet of flowers, a tranquil and beautiful

:47:50. > :47:54.spot dominated by this imposing memorial. I think it's worth telling

:47:55. > :47:58.viewers, especially those who have just joined us, that they are

:47:59. > :48:08.looking at this Thiepval Memorial and this gloriously rural scene, but

:48:09. > :48:14.100 years ago, on this very spot... It was the key point of the German

:48:15. > :48:18.defence on the Somme. It was a veritable fortress. The fact that a

:48:19. > :48:22.couple of hundred yards down the hill we exited the wood and

:48:23. > :48:27.attempted to take this, but on the 1st of July, we didn't get here

:48:28. > :48:32.until the 26th of September, showing you how important this was. If we

:48:33. > :48:36.had taken it on the 1st of July, we could have unlocked the whole German

:48:37. > :48:44.defence, but we couldn't. There is a plaque in a chapel in the town of

:48:45. > :48:51.Thiepval saying the living close the eyes of the dead, the dead open the

:48:52. > :48:56.eyes of the living. In that way, the Somme is a wake-up call for the

:48:57. > :49:05.living. The Prince of Wales arriving at Thiepval. The main event. Within

:49:06. > :49:13.a few minutes. The Duchess of Cornwall being greeted by Michael D

:49:14. > :49:17.Higgins, and Sir Timothy Laurence. The Duchess of Cornwall, we were

:49:18. > :49:22.talking about links with the Somme, and her family suffered the loss of

:49:23. > :49:24.three brothers, who would have been her great uncle is in the First

:49:25. > :49:39.World War. One of those was serving with the

:49:40. > :49:47.Coldstream Guards, leading men over the top, mentioned in dispatches.

:49:48. > :49:51.The Duchess of Cornwall was here ten years ago attending the 2006

:49:52. > :49:53.commemoration, the 90th commemoration of the battle. A

:49:54. > :50:32.return visit for her. The heads of state and government,

:50:33. > :50:37.members of the Royal family, making their way towards the Thiepval

:50:38. > :50:41.Memorial for this commemoratives event on the centenary of the first

:50:42. > :50:47.day of the Battle of the Somme. The national anthems of France and the

:50:48. > :50:55.United Kingdom will be played, and then this event will begin. A series

:50:56. > :51:00.of readings, musical performances, the BBC Symphony Orchestra is also

:51:01. > :51:33.here. They will play their part in the event itself.

:51:34. > :51:51.Guard of honour, Royal Salute. Present arms.

:51:52. > :52:56.MUSIC... God Save The Queen. MUSIC... La Marseillaise.

:52:57. > :53:27.The French Army band and the band of the Welsh Guards, they have played

:53:28. > :53:34.the national anthems and we await the arrival of the King's Troop

:53:35. > :53:40.Royal Artillery. They will fire the initial salvo that will mark the

:53:41. > :53:49.start of the ceremonial event at Thiepval. A stronger wind, the

:53:50. > :53:51.French and British national flags snapping in the breeze above the

:53:52. > :54:04.memorial itself. The gun detachment of the King's

:54:05. > :54:14.Troop is on the way. And they are a great site, led by Captain Nick

:54:15. > :54:16.Watson, the parade commander. Guard of honour, general salute, present

:54:17. > :54:30.arms. The commanding officer, Warrant

:54:31. > :54:54.Officer class one Grantham. The Prince of Wales and the

:54:55. > :55:01.president of the French republic taking the salute as the King's

:55:02. > :55:13.Troop makes its way towards the memorial and will position itself

:55:14. > :55:19.the other side near the cemetery. The guns will be fired to start the

:55:20. > :55:48.event itself. Earlier today we saw the King's

:55:49. > :55:57.Troop firing rounds in Parliament Square. Colleagues in Thiepval

:55:58. > :56:07.preparing to take a prominent role in today's event. Captain Nicholas

:56:08. > :56:16.Watson leading the Troop. He will give the orders.

:56:17. > :56:28.The royal party and other guests making their way to their seats. The

:56:29. > :56:43.Duke and Duchess of Gloucester have just arrived.

:56:44. > :56:58.The Prince of Wales and President Hollande walking side-by-side. A

:56:59. > :57:18.guard of honour, the Irish Guards on their way.

:57:19. > :57:30.The guns are 13 lbs quickfire guns, which entered service in 1904. The

:57:31. > :57:35.guns on parade were used in the First World War. One of the King's

:57:36. > :57:37.Troop guns today was believed to have been used in the Battle of the

:57:38. > :57:50.Somme. Taking their position near the

:57:51. > :57:57.cross, the two French guns already in place on the left-hand side of

:57:58. > :58:04.the cross. The guns are from the 40th Field Artillery Regiment. That

:58:05. > :58:07.Regiment participated in many campaigns of the First World War,

:58:08. > :58:20.including the Somme. You're in the war that Regiment won five

:58:21. > :58:22.citations. The French guns in place. The King's Troop now leading their

:58:23. > :58:43.guns into position. Each gun weighing 1.5 tonnes, the

:58:44. > :58:49.total weight with the limber, 54 feet long, the entire unit. And the

:58:50. > :59:00.guns are in effect the colours of the Regiment.

:59:01. > :59:05.Looking across the rolling countryside, the view from the

:59:06. > :59:59.memorial itself. The King's Troop and French troops

:00:00. > :00:01.in position. They will fire all four guns in unison to mark the start of

:00:02. > :00:22.this event. The guard of honour, the Irish

:00:23. > :00:29.Guards, they have taken their position in front of the memorial

:00:30. > :00:41.itself. They have been joined by the elite Academy, the French equivalent

:00:42. > :00:42.of Sandhurst. In their very distinctive uniforms. They will

:00:43. > :01:25.provide the other guard of honour. Stand by!

:01:26. > :01:46.Fire! Quick march!

:01:47. > :01:51.So the vigil has ended near the Stone of Remembrance.

:01:52. > :01:54.The guns have been fired and the commemorative event for the

:01:55. > :02:22.centenary of the Battle of the Somme is about to begin.

:02:23. > :02:26.For four and a half months in 1916, the fields around us saw one

:02:27. > :02:28.of the defining events of the 20th century.

:02:29. > :02:35.The Battle of the Somme was one of the most significant battles

:02:36. > :02:38.of the First World War, yet it did not bring

:02:39. > :02:42.about an end to the war, as the Allies had hoped.

:02:43. > :02:48.On 24 June 1916, in an attempt to destroy German defences

:02:49. > :02:51.here on the Somme, British and French guns began the largest

:02:52. > :03:01.Henry Holdstock of the Sixth Squadron,

:03:02. > :03:09.Royal Naval Air Service, wrote:

:03:10. > :03:12.On the eve of the battle, the night before they were to go

:03:13. > :03:14.over at dawn the next morning, the combined armament

:03:15. > :03:25.up through the earth, through your limbs,

:03:26. > :03:36.You were all of a tremor, just by artillery fire only.

:03:37. > :03:39.Not so much from the crashing of the shells, as the gunfire from

:03:40. > :03:45.the rear, all concentrating in one wild blast of gunfire.

:03:46. > :03:50.The whole ground trembled, and you felt sorry for anyone

:03:51. > :03:58.within half a mile of wherever they were piling it.

:03:59. > :04:08.The Germans waited out the terrifying bombardment

:04:09. > :04:17.A delay of two days for rain increased the tension amongst those

:04:18. > :04:29.Among those preparing to attack uphill not far

:04:30. > :04:33.from here at Thiepval Wood was the 36th Ulster Division,

:04:34. > :04:45.including the 21-year-old Billy McFadzean.

:04:46. > :04:47.Private Billy McFadzean grew up in Belfast and joined

:04:48. > :04:48.the Belfast Young Citizens' Battalion.

:04:49. > :04:53.He became an expert grenadier, or 'bomber' as they were known.

:04:54. > :04:58.At 06.45 on the 1 July 1916, he was at Thiepval Wood

:04:59. > :05:06.As he was preparing for the attack, an ammunition box turned over

:05:07. > :05:12.and spilled two live grenades, primed to explode.

:05:13. > :05:19.He was killed at once, but his action saved the lives

:05:20. > :05:30.In a letter to Billy's parents, his commanding officer described it

:05:31. > :05:33.as one of the finest deeds of a war that is so full of big things.

:05:34. > :05:41.Billy was awarded the highest award for gallantry, the Victoria Cross.

:05:42. > :05:45.Private Donald Cameron was with the 12th Battalion,

:05:46. > :05:47.York and Lancaster Regiment, from Sheffield, attacking

:05:48. > :06:03.They lay down about a hundred yards in front of our own barbed wire.

:06:04. > :06:06.Then the second wave went over, and lay down about 30

:06:07. > :06:08.During this time, there was high explosives,

:06:09. > :06:10.shrapnel, everything you can imagine, coming over.

:06:11. > :06:14.It was soul destroying, but I wasn't frightened:

:06:15. > :06:23.I was impatient, I wanted to get moving.

:06:24. > :06:27.like ninepins on either side, we bent double, and in the end

:06:28. > :06:30.After a while, three of us, and Sergeant Gallimore,

:06:31. > :06:39.I used to go to church when I was a lad, but I prayed more

:06:40. > :06:46.in that shell-hole than I ever prayed in church."

:06:47. > :06:50.By the summer of 1916, the British Army's ranks had been

:06:51. > :06:55.They came from every walk of life: coal mines,

:06:56. > :07:01.building sites, offices, factories and farms.

:07:02. > :07:04.In France, they were joined by men from every corner

:07:05. > :07:16.Some of those who attacked on 1st July belonged to 'Pals' Battalions,

:07:17. > :07:18.drawn from the same workplace, social club or community.

:07:19. > :07:21.They had enlisted together, trained together, and now

:07:22. > :07:51.For many, the Somme was their first taste of battle.

:07:52. > :07:54.# They were summoned from the hillside.

:07:55. > :08:09.# And the country found them ready At the stirring call for men.

:08:10. > :08:14.# Let no tears add to their hardships.

:08:15. > :08:25.# And although your heart is breaking.

:08:26. > :08:50.# While your hearts are yearning, # Though your lads are far away

:08:51. > :10:17.# Through the sacred call of "Friend."

:10:18. > :10:39.# Though your lads are far away they dream of home.

:10:40. > :11:08.#Turn the dark cloud inside out 'Till the boys come home.

:11:09. > :11:17.At dusk on 1 July, as roll calls were taken, the gravity

:11:18. > :11:24.of the losses became clearer, but only later did the full scale

:11:25. > :11:32.of the British Army's casualties emerge: nearly 60,000 casualties;

:11:33. > :11:36.of these, nearly one third were dead or would die from their wounds.

:11:37. > :11:40.It was the greatest loss of life in a single day

:11:41. > :11:49.Yet there was no question of calling off the battle.

:11:50. > :12:02.The scale of the casualties required unprecedented medical care.

:12:03. > :12:09.Alongside the devoted staff of the Royal Army Medical Corps

:12:10. > :12:16.were thousands of nurses, women of all ages and backgrounds.

:12:17. > :12:22.One volunteer nurse present from the start of the battle

:12:23. > :12:32.was a schoolteacher called Olive Dent.

:12:33. > :12:36.On and on we worked, forgetful of time and remembering our own meal

:12:37. > :12:46.Whatever our hand found to do on that memorable day and the four

:12:47. > :12:53.following days we did with all our might.

:12:54. > :12:59.Laughter, tears, immense satisfaction and pleasure,

:13:00. > :13:04.immeasurable pain and disappointment were commingled that day.

:13:05. > :13:10.Today's stories of the fighting, told to us red-hot from the lips

:13:11. > :13:16.of the boys who lived them, those stories and the many little

:13:17. > :13:21.incidents we have all witnessed, have shown us that while war may be

:13:22. > :13:39.a great wastage, it is also a great purifier.

:13:40. > :13:41.It has brought out valour indescribable,

:13:42. > :13:46.patience and magnificent endurance untellable.

:13:47. > :13:55.I am too tired to sleep, too tired to do anything but lie

:13:56. > :14:07.and look up at the wooden roof of the hut, too tired to do anything

:14:08. > :14:18.and mind the passionate appeal of two dying eyes and the low faint

:14:19. > :14:30.whisper of, "Sister, am I going to die?"

:14:31. > :14:32.In early July, the 38th Welsh Division took Mametz Wood,

:14:33. > :14:40.No tree in the wood was left unbroken.

:14:41. > :14:43.Other British forces then took Bazentin Ridge, in a

:14:44. > :14:50.But soon the battle became a struggle of attrition,

:14:51. > :14:53.with fierce fighting for every village, farm,

:14:54. > :15:01.As the weeks turned into months both sides were reluctant to pull back

:15:02. > :15:09.During an assault on Delville Wood, the 17th Battalion of

:15:10. > :15:12.the Middlesex Regiment, known as the Footballers' Battalion,

:15:13. > :15:23.One member of the Footballers' Battalion was William

:15:24. > :15:29.Jonas, who played for Clapton Orient, now called Leyton Orient.

:15:30. > :15:37.He was a popular player, receiving 50 fan letters a week.

:15:38. > :15:42.His fellow player Sergeant Major Richard McFadden wrote to the Club

:15:43. > :15:49.to inform them of his fate at Delville Wood.

:15:50. > :15:53."I, Richard McFadden sadly report the death of my friend and Orient

:15:54. > :15:57.colleague William Jonas on the morning of Thursday

:15:58. > :16:06.Both Willie and I were trapped in a trench near the front

:16:07. > :16:14.Willie turned to me and said "Goodbye Mac, Best of luck,

:16:15. > :16:20.special love to my sweetheart Mary Jane and best regards

:16:21. > :16:26.Before I could reply to him, he was up and over.

:16:27. > :16:29.No sooner had he jumped up out of the trench,

:16:30. > :16:34.my best friend of nearly twenty years was killed before my eyes.

:16:35. > :16:52.Words cannot express my feelings at this time."

:16:53. > :16:54.Throughout the battle, the British Army was bolstered

:16:55. > :17:01.Some came from across the Atlantic: the Newfoundland Regiment,

:17:02. > :17:04.which suffered huge losses on 1st July; members of

:17:05. > :17:07.the Bermuda Volunteer Rifle Corps; men of the British West Indies

:17:08. > :17:09.Regiment, who moved from support roles into the front line,

:17:10. > :17:11.and the four Canadian divisions which drove the line

:17:12. > :17:23.Indian cavalrymen who charged at High Wood.

:17:24. > :17:25.Australian soldiers who fought fierce battles around Pozieres.

:17:26. > :17:28.New Zealanders who helped capture Flers.

:17:29. > :17:31.The South African Infantry brigade, or SAI, went into action on 15 July

:17:32. > :17:34.at Delville Wood as part of the Scottish Division.

:17:35. > :17:38.Among them were two inseparable brothers, Arthur William Robins,

:17:39. > :17:41.known as Willie, and Percy James Robins, who was wounded at Delville.

:17:42. > :17:54.Percy wrote to his family in Durban the next day.

:17:55. > :18:00.Just a line to let you know I am quite OK.

:18:01. > :18:03.We went into action last Saturday morning and we weren't at it more

:18:04. > :18:06.than 10 minutes or maybe 15 when I got a bullet through the calf

:18:07. > :18:19.Luckily, old Will was with me and he put a field dressing on it.

:18:20. > :18:22.I tell you, Willie was a perfect Angel of Mercy and a little Hero.

:18:23. > :18:27.I expect to be sent across to England soon.

:18:28. > :18:37.They've made a name for themselves but at a sad cost.

:18:38. > :18:40.It clearly shows the opinion those in authority have of the SAI

:18:41. > :18:43.that they should have given the task of clearing the wood.

:18:44. > :18:53.Neither Percy nor Willie would survive the war.

:18:54. > :18:57.When British 'Tommies' went over the top on 1 July,

:18:58. > :19:02.they were joined by 'Poilus' from across France and its Empire.

:19:03. > :19:04.Already fighting a fierce battle at Verdun, the French Army advanced

:19:05. > :19:12.at great cost to recapture many villages on the Somme.

:19:13. > :19:17.# Pour le repos le plaisir du militaire

:19:18. > :19:20.# Il est la-bas a deux pas de la foret

:19:21. > :19:24.# Une maison aux murs tous couverts de liere

:19:25. > :19:27.# Aux Tourlourous c'est le nom du cabaret

:19:28. > :19:44.# Nous en revous la nuit nous y pensons le jour.

:19:45. > :19:52.# Ce n'est que Madelon mais pour nous c'est l'amour

:19:53. > :19:54.# Quand Madelon vient nous servir a boire

:19:55. > :20:00.# Et chacun lui raconte une histoire tonnelle on frole son jupon

:20:01. > :20:08.# La Madelon pour nous n'est pas severe

:20:09. > :20:12.# Quand on lui prend la taille ou le menton

:20:13. > :20:15.# Elle rit c'est tout l'mal qu'elle sait faire

:20:16. > :20:27.# S'en fut trouver Madelon un beau matin.

:20:28. > :20:30.# Et, fou d'amour, lui dit qu'elle etait jolie

:20:31. > :20:35.# Et qu'il venait pour lui demander sa main

:20:36. > :20:48.# Et pourquoi prendrais-je un seul homme,

:20:49. > :20:56.# J'en ai bien trop besoin pour leur verser du vin.

:20:57. > :20:59.# Quand Madelon vient nous servir a boire

:21:00. > :21:07.# Et chacun lui raconte une histoire on frole son jupon

:21:08. > :21:15.# La Madelon pour nous n'est pas severe

:21:16. > :21:18.# Quand on lui prend la taille ou le menton

:21:19. > :21:21.# Elle rit c'est tout l'mal qu'elle sait faire

:21:22. > :25:11.On 15th September, the British Army unveiled an extraordinary

:25:12. > :25:21.tanks arrived on the Somme under heavy tarpaulins.

:25:22. > :25:25.Some British troops even believed them

:25:26. > :25:28.to be literally 'tanks' for holding reserves of water.

:25:29. > :25:31.The first tanks were unwieldy monsters.

:25:32. > :25:41.But some were able to cross trenches and to crush barbed wire.

:25:42. > :25:46.Men on all sides were shocked to see these gigantic machines.

:25:47. > :25:49.One soldier of the 4th Bavarian Infantry Division describes

:25:50. > :27:50.Even at the height of the battle, there were still moments of humanity

:27:51. > :28:01.Corporal Jim Crow, 110th Brigade, Royal Field Artillery,

:28:02. > :28:06.describes a brief unofficial truce on the front line.

:28:07. > :28:09."One of our infantrymen was on the German barbed

:28:10. > :28:17.We could see him moving every now and again.

:28:18. > :28:21.In the end, Major Anderton pulled his revolver out,

:28:22. > :28:25.climbed over the parapet, walked straight to this man,

:28:26. > :28:34.He walked as though he was on parade.

:28:35. > :28:38.The Germans never fired a shot at him as he went,

:28:39. > :28:43.they never fired a shot as he went back, and they cheered him

:28:44. > :29:23.as he lifted the man on to his shoulders."

:29:24. > :29:34.One of the Great War poets, a British working-class lad, Jewish,

:29:35. > :29:35.born in the East End of London. He was killed sure they after writing

:29:36. > :29:38.the following poem. It is the same old

:29:39. > :29:45.druid time as ever, Only a live thing leaps my hand,

:29:46. > :29:49.A queer sardonic rat, As I pull the parapet's poppy

:29:50. > :29:53.To stick behind my ear. Droll rat, they would

:29:54. > :29:56.shoot you if they knew Now you have touched

:29:57. > :30:01.this English hand You will do the same

:30:02. > :30:04.to a German soon, no doubt, if it be your pleasure to cross

:30:05. > :30:08.the sleeping green between. It seems you inwardly

:30:09. > :30:12.grin as you pass Strong eyes, fine limbs,

:30:13. > :30:18.haughty athletes, Sprawled in the bowels of the earth,

:30:19. > :30:27.the torn fields of France. What do you see in our eyes

:30:28. > :30:32.at the shrieking iron and flame Poppies whose roots

:30:33. > :30:44.are in man's veins But mine in my ear is safe - just

:30:45. > :31:14.a little white with the dust. Isaac Rosenberg was one of many

:31:15. > :31:18.who wrote poetry to try to capture something of their experience

:31:19. > :31:22.of the battle. Others wrote diaries

:31:23. > :31:28.or letters home. An Eala Bhan, or The White Swan,

:31:29. > :31:33.is a Gaelic love song by the poet Donald MacDonald,

:31:34. > :31:36.who served with the Cameron Highlanders, composed

:31:37. > :31:37.during the Battle of the Somme. It is addressed to his

:31:38. > :32:18.sweetheart, Maggie MacLeaod. # Since I left the high misty hills,

:32:19. > :32:22.heart seared by sorrow, # The beguiling glens

:32:23. > :32:24.of loch, bay and strome, # And the fair swan who stays

:32:25. > :32:42.there whom I pursue unceasingly. # Maggie, my love, do not

:32:43. > :32:54.grieve even if I die # Where is the man among

:32:55. > :33:03.us who is immortal? # We are all of us

:33:04. > :33:11.on a brief journey. # Just like the field flower that

:33:12. > :33:13.grows # And succumbs to

:33:14. > :33:21.the changing season, # The sun no longer

:33:22. > :33:25.able to revive it. # On my elbows in

:33:26. > :33:35.the trenches, # My mind dwells on you

:33:36. > :33:42.constantly, my love; # In sleep I dream of

:33:43. > :33:47.you and my health suffers; # And my locks which once grew

:33:48. > :34:21.ginger are now turning white. # Goodnight, my love,

:34:22. > :34:26.in your warm fragrant bed, # A quiet sleep to you and a joyous

:34:27. > :34:31.wholesome awakening. # The sounds of death

:34:32. > :34:41.constantly in my ears. # With little hope of

:34:42. > :34:50.emerging victorious, Soldiers from across Ireland served

:34:51. > :35:25.in the British Army. In early September, the 16th

:35:26. > :35:30.Irish Division fought at Guillemont, one of the fiercest

:35:31. > :35:34.parts of the battle. Soon afterwards, the Irish

:35:35. > :35:37.politician, poet and journalist, Tom Kettle, led his company

:35:38. > :35:44.into action at Ginchy. In a letter to a close

:35:45. > :35:49.friend he wrote: 'We are moving up tonight

:35:50. > :35:54.into the battle of the Somme. The bombardment, destruction

:35:55. > :35:58.and bloodshed are beyond all imagination, nor did I ever think

:35:59. > :36:05.the valour of simple men could be quite as beautiful as that of my

:36:06. > :36:13.Dublin Fusiliers. I have had two chances of leaving

:36:14. > :36:17.them - one on sick leave and one I have chosen to stay

:36:18. > :36:24.with my comrades. Ginchy was captured within 45

:36:25. > :36:42.minutes, but Tom Kettle did not survive, and is commemorated

:36:43. > :36:49.here on the Thiepval Memorial. The high ground where we gather

:36:50. > :36:55.today was eventually Lieutenant Tom Adlam VC

:36:56. > :37:02.of the 7th Battalion, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire

:37:03. > :37:03.regiment, proudly His son Clive reads a description of

:37:04. > :37:19.the action. They went like a bomb,

:37:20. > :37:21.they really did. They all up and ran and we got

:37:22. > :37:25.into our little bit of trench... I got a whole lot of bombs ready

:37:26. > :37:32.and I started throwing them as fast We just charged up the trench

:37:33. > :37:37.like a load of mad things, luckily they were running,

:37:38. > :37:41.we never caught them, In the end,

:37:42. > :37:47.with these few men I had, we got right to our objective

:37:48. > :37:51.that the battalion was down I was frightened,

:37:52. > :37:57.I don't mind telling you. You did a job out there and I never

:37:58. > :38:00.realised that there was anything There was a job to be done

:38:01. > :38:08.and you just got on and did it. I was more frightened

:38:09. > :38:14.going up to the trenches, sitting, waiting to start,

:38:15. > :38:18.I was very frightened then, You've got a group of men with you,

:38:19. > :38:27.you're in charge of them. We were taught we had to be

:38:28. > :38:30.an example to our men and that if we went forward,

:38:31. > :38:33.they'd go with you, you see. And you sort of lose your

:38:34. > :38:35.sense of fear, thinking Offensive operations were called

:38:36. > :38:51.off on 18th November, as the first snow of winter

:38:52. > :38:54.began to fall. By then, Allied and German

:38:55. > :39:00.casualties - killed, wounded, missing or captured - came to more

:39:01. > :39:08.than one million. An area of a hundred square miles

:39:09. > :39:14.was a mass of shell holes and mud, No tree was left unblasted,

:39:15. > :39:27.no wall left standing; where once there had been farms and villages,

:39:28. > :39:30.there was only rubble Everywhere, the mud was strewn

:39:31. > :39:41.with rotting corpses. It was a scene of desolation that

:39:42. > :39:50.has haunted Europe ever since. Grieving families had to make

:39:51. > :39:55.their peace as best they could. In the months and years to come,

:39:56. > :40:00.the Commonwealth War Graves Commission built

:40:01. > :40:06.cemeteries for the fallen across the battlefield,

:40:07. > :40:10.and memorials for those whose remains had never been

:40:11. > :40:18.recovered or identified. Florence Scarlett's husband, Second

:40:19. > :40:25.Lieutenant Harold Ernest Scarlett, of the London Regiment,

:40:26. > :40:29.Royal Fusiliers, was killed She wrote a letter of thanks

:40:30. > :40:37.to Captain Arthur Agius, who had Florence and Harold's granddaughter

:40:38. > :40:55.Clare reads that letter. Dear Captain Agius, I wish to take

:40:56. > :40:57.this opportunity of thanking you for your kind letter

:40:58. > :41:00.of sympathy, and for the few details you were able to give me

:41:01. > :41:05.concerning my dear husband's death. The sad news was a terrible shock

:41:06. > :41:08.to me, and, up till now, I have felt too ill to write to you,

:41:09. > :41:15.although I have been eager to do so. If it is not taking too great

:41:16. > :41:24.an advantage of your kindness, will you please let me know whether,

:41:25. > :41:27.at the time my dear one fell, there were any personal possessions

:41:28. > :41:31.on him that could be sent to me. I know there was nothing

:41:32. > :41:35.of real value, but I think you will understand that any little

:41:36. > :41:40.thing no matter what it is will become one of my most

:41:41. > :41:45.cherished possessions. It was a great relief to know that

:41:46. > :41:51.dear Harold did not suffer any pain, although what would I not give

:41:52. > :41:55.to have had one last We have been married

:41:56. > :42:11.such a short time - only five months -

:42:12. > :42:14.and I cannot realise that he had gone -

:42:15. > :42:16.never to see him again. The last time we were together

:42:17. > :42:20.he was so happy and well and eager to do his level best for his Country

:42:21. > :42:24.at all cost. This horrible war is dealing some

:42:25. > :42:28.cruel blows, and one is apt to grow hardened to the Casualty List

:42:29. > :42:34.until someone very dear is taken. There is scarcely a home,

:42:35. > :42:37.but what the occupants have some great trouble to bear,

:42:38. > :42:40.and sometimes I think, knowing this, helps us

:42:41. > :42:46.to bear our grief more bravely. Will you please also

:42:47. > :42:51.tell me, if possible, After the war, I hope to be able

:42:52. > :42:58.to visit his last resting place. Once again thanking you for your

:42:59. > :43:09.kindness in writing to me. Like so many others,

:43:10. > :43:11.Florence was never able to find her husband's

:43:12. > :43:19.final resting place. Harold is commemorated

:43:20. > :43:26.here on the Thiepval Memorial, one of over 72,000 with no known

:43:27. > :44:35.grave: The Missing of the Somme. For the world's events have rumbled

:44:36. > :46:21.on since those gagged days, Like traffic checked

:46:22. > :46:26.while at the crossing of city-ways. And the haunted gap in your mind has

:46:27. > :46:31.filled with thoughts that flow Like clouds in the lit

:46:32. > :46:35.heaven of life; and you're a man reprieved to go,

:46:36. > :46:40.Taking your peaceful share But the past is just the same -

:46:41. > :46:52.and War's a bloody game. Look down, and swear by the slain

:46:53. > :47:03.of the War that you'll never forget. Do you remember the

:47:04. > :47:08.dark months you held the sector at Mametz - The nights

:47:09. > :47:13.you watched and wired and dug Do you remember the

:47:14. > :47:19.rats; and the stench Of corpses rotting in front

:47:20. > :47:25.of the front-line trench - And dawn coming, dirty-white,

:47:26. > :47:34.and chill with a hopeless rain? Do you ever stop and ask,

:47:35. > :47:40.'Is it all going to happen again?' Do you remember that hour

:47:41. > :47:43.of din before the attack- And the anger, the blind compassion

:47:44. > :47:51.that seized and shook you then. As you peered at the doomed

:47:52. > :47:57.and haggard faces of your men? Do you remember the

:47:58. > :48:02.stretcher-cases lurching back With dying eyes and lolling

:48:03. > :48:06.heads - those ashen-grey Masks of the lads who once

:48:07. > :48:12.were keen and kind and gay? Look up, and swear by

:48:13. > :49:17.the green of the spring that The writer John Masefield travelled

:49:18. > :49:21.to the Somme battlefield in 1918 and wrote The Old Front Line a record of

:49:22. > :49:24.the battle scarred landscape he witnessed.

:49:25. > :49:28.Beyond the trees, on the other side of the marsh, is the steep and high

:49:29. > :49:30.eastern bank of the Ancre, on which a battered wood,

:49:31. > :49:32.called Thiepval Wood, stands like an army of black

:49:33. > :49:40.But for this stricken wood, the eastern bank of the Ancre

:49:41. > :49:50.is a gentle, sloping hill, bare of trees.

:49:51. > :49:54.On the top of this hill is the famous Schwaben Redoubt.

:49:55. > :49:56.One need only look at the ground to know

:49:57. > :50:04.that the fighting here was very grim, and to the death.

:50:05. > :50:08.Near the road and up the slope to the enemy the ground is littered

:50:09. > :50:13.with relics of our charges, mouldy packs, old shattered

:50:14. > :50:17.scabbards, rifles, bayonets, helmets curled, torn,

:50:18. > :50:21.rolled and starred, clips of cartridges,

:50:22. > :50:38.nor alive, nor clean, in all its extent; it is a place

:50:39. > :50:45.of ruin and death, blown and blasted out of any likeness to any work

:50:46. > :50:51.of man, and so smashed that there is no shelter on it,

:50:52. > :51:01.save for the one machine gunner in his box.

:51:02. > :51:05.On all that desolate hill our fire fell like rain for days and nights

:51:06. > :51:10.and weeks till the watchers in our line could see no hill

:51:11. > :51:16.at all, but a great, vague, wreathing devil of darkness

:51:17. > :51:25.in which little sudden fires winked and glimmered and disappeared.

:51:26. > :51:31.All wars end; even this war will someday end,

:51:32. > :51:37.and the ruins will be rebuilt and the field full of

:51:38. > :51:40.death will grow food, and all this frontier of trouble

:51:41. > :51:50.When the trenches are filled in, and the plough has gone over them,

:51:51. > :51:56.the ground will not long keep the look of war.

:51:57. > :52:01.One summer with its flowers will cover most of the ruin that man

:52:02. > :52:05.can make, and these places, from which the driving

:52:06. > :52:09.back of the enemy began, will be hard indeed to trace,

:52:10. > :52:23.is a romance in memory, the soldier looking

:52:24. > :52:28.for his battlefield will find his marks gone.

:52:29. > :52:35.Centre Way, Peel Trench, Munster Alley, and these other paths

:52:36. > :52:41.to glory will be deep under the corn, and gleaners will sing

:52:42. > :53:57.# Abide with me; fast falls the eventide;

:53:58. > :54:10.# The darkness deepens; Lord with me abide.

:54:11. > :54:23.# When other helpers fail and comforts flee,

:54:24. > :54:42.# Help of the helpless, O abide with me.

:54:43. > :54:55.# Swift to its close ebbs out life's little day;

:54:56. > :55:08.# Earth's joys grow dim, its glories pass away;

:55:09. > :55:22.# Change and decay in all around I see;

:55:23. > :55:38.# O Thou who changest not, abide with me.

:55:39. > :55:48.# Thou on my head in early youth didst smile,

:55:49. > :56:15.# Thou hast not left me, oft as I left Thee.

:56:16. > :56:30.# On to the close, O Lord, abide with me.

:56:31. > :56:42.# I need Thy presence every passing hour.

:56:43. > :56:53.# What but Thy grace can foil the tempter's power?

:56:54. > :57:06.# Who, like Thyself, my guide and stay can be?

:57:07. > :57:21.# Through cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide with me.

:57:22. > :57:32.# I fear no foe, with Thee at hand to bless;

:57:33. > :57:43.# Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness.

:57:44. > :58:16.# I triumph still, if Thou abide with me.

:58:17. > :58:27.# Hold Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes;

:58:28. > :58:40.# Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies.

:58:41. > :58:54.# Heaven's morning breaks, and earth's vain shadows flee;

:58:55. > :59:16.# In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.

:59:17. > :59:25.Eternal God, our refuge and strength, on this

:59:26. > :59:30.day we remember before you all who experienced the battle

:59:31. > :59:34.on the Somme: those who faced the terrible waste and devastation,

:59:35. > :59:37.who fought against all the odds, endured the clinging mud,

:59:38. > :59:53.We recall with thanksgiving the loyalty shown to comrades

:59:54. > :00:05.and the bravery of those who overcame their fear,

:00:06. > :00:07.the courage of those who daily faced the trauma of battle.

:00:08. > :00:10.May we never forget the devastating loss of this battle,

:00:11. > :00:14.the anxiety on the home front, and the sacrifices that were made.

:00:15. > :00:21.Through our remembrances, strengthen our resolve

:00:22. > :00:35.and to speak your word of peace in times of conflict and insecurity.

:00:36. > :00:38.This we ask in the name of the Prince of peace,

:00:39. > :00:51.They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;

:00:52. > :00:57.Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

:00:58. > :01:01.At the going down of the sun and in the morning;

:01:02. > :06:47.Here we have the 600 school children who have been waiting patiently to

:06:48. > :06:51.take part in this commemorative event. 300 French children and 300

:06:52. > :06:58.British and Irish school children here today and young people.

:06:59. > :07:03.They will each lay a posy on one of the 600 graves in this cemetery.

:07:04. > :07:08.They're aged 9-15 and they're from 24 French, British and Irish

:07:09. > :07:13.educational institutions. All of them have been working for

:07:14. > :07:17.over six months on educational projects and joint artistic

:07:18. > :07:21.productionens as part of a project by the British Council. They

:07:22. > :07:22.sponsored the project T aims to raise awareness of the significance

:07:23. > :07:54.of the First World War. The music Butterworth, the Banks of

:07:55. > :08:18.Green Willow. Sglp

:08:19. > :08:25.The cross of sacrifice at Thiepval, which was installed precisely where

:08:26. > :08:26.the German line stood when the Battle of the Somme started 100

:08:27. > :08:44.years ago today. Representatives from the

:08:45. > :08:47.contributing nations will now participate in the wreath-laying.

:08:48. > :08:58.The children, of course, will lay their own tributes.

:08:59. > :09:04.The Prince of Wales on behalf of the United Kingdom.

:09:05. > :09:11.The President of the French Republic, Francois Hollande.

:09:12. > :09:19.Over 200,000 French casualties in the Battle of the Somme, 400,000

:09:20. > :09:28.British and Commonwealth dead killed, missing or wounded. The

:09:29. > :09:31.President of the Irish Republic, Michael D Higginns, representing all

:09:32. > :09:40.the Irish forces who took part in this battle.

:09:41. > :09:50.Remembering the 125,000 British and Commonwealth troops who lost their

:09:51. > :10:16.lives in this battle. The former President of Germany

:10:17. > :10:18.there too, Dr Kohler. Representatives of Australia,

:10:19. > :10:28.Canada, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, and South Africa.

:10:29. > :10:44.The Australian remembering the three divisions who fought at the Somme.

:10:45. > :10:52.The Indian cavalry who took part, the troops from New Zealand who took

:10:53. > :11:00.part here, thousands of them. And the South Africans who suffered

:11:01. > :11:34.terrible losses. The Cross of Sacrifice which can be

:11:35. > :11:39.found in any cemetery with more than 40 graves, designed to represent the

:11:40. > :11:45.fate of the majority by using a simple cross embedded with a bronze

:11:46. > :11:51.sword and mounted on that base. It's a very familiar sight for any

:11:52. > :11:59.visitor to these war cemeteries. On the base there is an inscription,

:12:00. > :12:04.it says, that the world may remember the common sacrifice of 2.5 million

:12:05. > :12:08.dead, here have been led side by side soldiers of France and the

:12:09. > :13:05.British Empire in eternal comradeship.

:13:06. > :17:08.# Allons enfants de la Patrie Le jour de gloire est arrive

:17:09. > :17:16.# Contre nous de la tyrannie, L'etendard sanglant est leve

:17:17. > :17:26.# Entendez-vous dans les campagnes Mugir ces feroces soldats

:17:27. > :17:29.# Aux armes, citoyens Formez vos bataillons

:17:30. > :18:46.# Qu'un sang impur Abreuve nos sillons

:18:47. > :18:55.The guard of honour provided by the 1st Battalion Irish Guards. All of

:18:56. > :18:59.which brings this commemoratives event of the Battle of the Somme at

:19:00. > :19:09.the Thiepval Memorial to an end today. We reflect on the events of

:19:10. > :19:16.100 years ago. We have heard contributions, music, words,

:19:17. > :19:22.reflecting on the losses and suffering of so many people in that

:19:23. > :19:38.battle, which took place over four and a half months of two in July and

:19:39. > :19:41.November 19 16. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge talking to young people

:19:42. > :19:45.from schools across England and France who have taken part today,

:19:46. > :19:52.and the Prince of Wales doing the same. They have been doing their job

:19:53. > :19:59.wonderfully, I have to say, wearing T-shirts, and it's not very warm.

:20:00. > :20:13.And it has been rather wet too. They are from Northern Ireland, east

:20:14. > :20:27.London, Durham, Newport in South Wales, Leicester, Penrith, Plymouth,

:20:28. > :20:33.County Waterford in Ireland. We can graduate all of them for taking part

:20:34. > :20:40.in this event. Looking at the list of the French schools, from every

:20:41. > :20:56.part of France. As we look at these lovely images to

:20:57. > :21:04.finish the event, Shirley WIlliams and Richard Van Emden in the studio.

:21:05. > :21:06.Richard, your thoughts at the end today, because it's been very

:21:07. > :21:14.powerful and moving. Very powerful and very moving.

:21:15. > :21:19.Extraordinary act of remembrance. I didn't anticipate this. I feel very

:21:20. > :21:24.emotional. It's been part of my life for 20 years. It's a moment to say

:21:25. > :21:29.thank you to that generation and also to say goodbye. We will

:21:30. > :21:34.continue to remember, people come here every year, but not in this

:21:35. > :21:41.way. I'm deeply moved and impressed by what I have seen today. Shirley

:21:42. > :21:51.WIlliams. I agree. We have seen here in effect, on behalf of Europe,

:21:52. > :21:59.meeting. Not least, the final great companionship between the dead of

:22:00. > :22:03.France and the British remembered. It's been a pleasure to have you

:22:04. > :22:11.both with us. It's been an emotional morning. This brings to a close the

:22:12. > :22:15.events from northern France, 100 years after the start of the Battle

:22:16. > :22:19.of the Somme. One of the bloodiest battles in history and one of the

:22:20. > :22:22.defining battles of the First World War.

:22:23. > :22:25.One million men killed or injured, and a century later,

:22:26. > :22:27.the scale of the loss and suffering is still difficult

:22:28. > :22:35.But with every passing year, the act of remembrance becomes even

:22:36. > :22:44.The Somme Centenary commemorations continue in the UK this afternoon.

:22:45. > :22:54.Live coverage of these events will be on the BBC News Channel.

:22:55. > :22:57.You can follow live updates on the commemorations as well on the

:22:58. > :23:00.website. But for now - from my special

:23:01. > :23:04.guests here in Thiepval - and from the entire BBC team

:23:05. > :23:07.in northern France - thank