In Pictures: Battle of the Somme centenary commemorated
- Published
Commemorations are taking place to mark the 100th anniversary of the start of the Battle of the Somme in World War One. Guns were fired in central London ahead of a two-minute silence just before the time the battle commenced at 07:30 on 1 July 1916.
French President Francois Hollande, UK Prime Minister David Cameron, the Duke of Cambridge, Prince Harry and Prince Charles were among the dignitaries attending an event at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission memorial at Thiepval.
Soldiers of the Irish Guards stood to attention during the event at Thiepval.
The Duchess of Cambridge met British and French teenagers attending the centenary commemorations and said the experience had been "very moving".
At Edinburgh Castle, as at many other places, a whistle was blown to mark the end of the silence. Similar whistles were used at the Somme to signal the call to go over the top of the trenches and advance towards enemy lines.
A representation of a giant poppy lies in the Lochnagar crater in La Boiselle, France, created by a massive explosion at the start of the battle.
The Duchess of Cornwall was to lay a wreath at the grave of her great-uncle, Captain Harry Cubitt, who was killed on the Somme in September 1916 while serving with the Coldstream Guards.
A soldier stands among the crosses of the missing at Thiepval.
The Somme offensive was intended to achieve a decisive breakthrough for the British and French allies after 18 months of trench warfare.
Men dressed as World War One soldiers have been spotted in railway stations and on UK streets handing out cards detailing casualties of the Battle of the Somme. The hashtag #wearehere, which features on the cards, is trending on Twitter as pictures of the tribute are shared.
A vigil was maintained at the Thiepval memorial in northern France until Friday morning to mark the moment troops first went into battle.
On Thursday evening, a wreath was laid on behalf of the Queen on the Grave of the Unknown Warrior at Westminster Abbey in London. The first day of the Somme represented the bloodiest day in British military history.
Military personnel and school pupils stood in reflective silence at the tomb. The battle saw more than one million men killed or wounded on all sides.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry also attended part of a military-led vigil at Thiepval on Thursday evening. Prince William said of the fallen soldiers "we lost the flower of a generation".
New Zealand army chief, Maj Gen Peter Kelly, is seen walking among gravestones at Thiepval.
Many of the graves at Thiepval commemorate those who were missing in action at the Somme.
This image was projected onto the White Cliffs of Dover in memory of the fallen soldiers.
- Published1 July 2016
- Published29 June 2016
- Published1 July 2016
