Centenary of the Battle of the Somme

Blurred Meadow

Background information on the Centenary of the Battle of the Somme

Planning for the Legion’s part in the marking of the centenary of the Battle of the Somme is ongoing, please see below the information that is currently known.

Please forgive any reiteration of knowledge already known.

This is not the last you will hear about these events. I will ensure you are as fully informed as possible in the coming weeks.

Summary

There were 57,470 British casualties on Day 1 of the Somme; including 19,240 killed. Of the 430,000 British casualties suffered in the Battle, a third died. Thiepval is a CWGC memorial, located in rural Picardy, France.

There will be 5 distinct elements of the centenary of the Battle of the Somme, running from 30 June to 18 November 2016, as follows:

· 30 June: Overnight televised vigils at Thiepval and Westminster Abbey

· 1 July: International event at Thiepval memorial

· 1 July: National event in Manchester, coinciding with parallel events in other regional centres

· 2 July to 17 November: Somme-‘141’, Legion-led midday services at Thiepval memorial

· 18 November: Legion-led event at Thiepval memorial to mark the closure of the Battle

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30 June 2016 – Thiepval

There will be a military vigil held overnight at the Thiepval Memorial at which there will be no Legion representation.

Places of Worship across the UK may be seeking to conduct Vigils of their own to coincide with the event at Thiepval.

1 July 2016 – Thiepval

There will be a joint UK-French Government event at the Thiepval Memorial.

Only a minority (8,000) of those who applied to the ballot for tickets will be able to attend.

Other than participation by the National Standard Bearers (and some selected others), the Legion’s involvement will be limited.

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1 July 2016 – UK

The Department of Culture, Media and Sport has directed that Manchester will host the national commemorative event for the Battle of the Somme on 1 July 2016, which the Legion is assisting in coordinating. Following the event at Thiepval in France, the Manchester event currently comprises three phases:

· a Cathedral service

· a ‘People’s Procession’ to Heaton Park

· and an ‘experience site’ and concert at Heaton Park, ending c.10pm

There will also be other regional events (information gathering for which is ongoing – see email ‘Centenary Activity in 2016’ 22 December 2015 – some are more advanced in their planning than others).

There will be a role for Membership on 1 July and thereafter, either centrally or regionally, and we will promulgate plans as soon as we can.

2 July to 17 November 2016 – Thiepval and UK – Somme-‘141’

The Legion will deliver a daily event, giving Membership an opportunity to play a role at the Thiepval Monument at 12pm French time (11am UK time), likely to be similar in format to the daily Menin Gate services.

Somme-‘141’ refers to the length in days of the Battle of the Somme, from 1 July to 18 November, inclusive. This moniker is subject to change.

Attendance will vary according to the history of the day and the associations that wish to visit. Groups ranging from Commonwealth Governments to local clubs have already begun to following process.

Via online registration, the Legion has the opportunity to coordinate and deliver a community-based programme of Remembrance events based upon localised history. This programme will encourage communities and any regimental association to mark the day their local (‘Pals’) battalions became involved in the battle, although anyone (including existing tour groups) will be encouraged to attend.

2, 3 and 4 July forecast to absorb huge numbers of those unable to attend Thiepval on 1 July.

For those unable to attend Thiepval, there is the opportunity for the Legion to play a lead role in the delivery of commemorative events around the UK by providing templates and event packs. These events do not necessarily have to be Church services and will be determined by local communities.

18 November 2016 – Thiepval

A large-scale culminating event to be run by the Legion at Thiepval to bring Somme-‘141’ to a close, involving representatives from Pals’ Battalions and Serving military, aspiring for BBC coverage.

Additional Note:

Branch Standards to Thiepval on 1 July

Following success in the ballot at the end of last year a number of Branch Standard Bearers have enquired whether they can attend the international event at Thiepval Memorial on 1 July bearing their Standards.

While this keenness and pride is recognised and appreciated it is requested that Branch representatives do not take their Standards to the Memorial on 1 July.

This is because the Legion will officially be represented in this capacity solely by the National Standard Bearers.

However, as the Legion will be running daily (11:45am) services at the Memorial from 2 July onwards, this presents a welcome opportunity for those Bearers to parade with their Standards during the subsequent days.

In light of this, it would be of great assistance to the Commemorative Events team if you could please continue to feed in how many Members you know will be attending Thiepval between 2 July and 18 November.

More detail will follow about the nature of these events at the Memorial.

Equally, if Members are unable to travel to France and are planning events on 1 July in the UK, please do let me know.