Battle of the Somme 1916

On 1 July 1916, the first shots were fired in the Battle of the Somme in World War One. It was one of the bloodiest engagements of the "Great War", taking tens of thousands of casualties, and was an ultimate failure. Only 12 km of ground was gained at most. The human cost of this battle, which came to a halt in mid-November 1916 due to snow, was 420,000 British, 200,000 French and 500,000 German dead.

Today, a commemoration takes place in Northern France, in the area between Paris and Calais where the River Somme flows. Although nowadays it looks like any farming country, the trenches and shell craters have been left intact. Farmers still plough up barbed wire, unexploded grenades and other dangerous ironware. They call it the Iron Harvest.

Let's observe a moment's silence today to remember those that lay down their lives - on both sides of the conflict.

Further information from this page on Firstworldwar.com.