Memorial to mark Somme battle

Trimble attended the service where he remembered the 36th Ulster Division

THIEPVAL, France -- Thousands of people have attended a memorial service to mark the 85th anniversary of the start of the Battle of the Somme.

The commemorative event was held at the Thiepval Memorial in France on Sunday.

Among those present was David Trimble, whose resignation as Northern Ireland's First Minister had come into effect earlier in the day.

His grandfather had served in the 36th Ulster Division which was among the first to march forward and the casualties were predictably heavy.

Trimble was joined by Britain's Northern Ireland Secretary John Reid and French minister in charge of veterans' affairs, Jean-Pierre Masseret, at the outdoor service where wreaths were laid at the vast red-brick arch.

Dennis Goodwin, chairman of the World War One Veterans' Association, said few surviving soldiers who fought in the battle had been able to make the trip because of old age.

"They each remember it in their own way," he told the Press Association.

"July 1 is a date imprinted in the minds of all old soldiers."

The memorial to the missing of the World War I battle was built and is maintained by the UK's Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

It bears the names of more than 72,000 who died in the Somme sector and have no known grave.

It serves as an Anglo-French battle memorial in recognition of the joint nature of the 1916 offensive, whose opening day cost some 60,000 casualties.

The offensive, which started at 7.30am on July 1, met fierce German resistance from strong defensive positions unbroken by a seven-day bombardment.

With a few exceptions, the attack was a failure, and the offensive developed into a series of battles which ended with the onset of winter and exhaustion of the troops.

Between 1st July and November, the Somme offensive by British and French forces managed to advance no further than 12 kilometres at the most.

During that period, British casualties were 420,000, while the French lost nearly 200,000 and it is estimated that German casualties were in the region of 500,000.

A small cemetery containing equal numbers of Commonwealth and French graves lies at the foot of the Thiepval memorial, which was unveiled in 1932.

Peter Francis, spokesman for the Commission, told PA: "The memorial stands as a reminder to us all of the human cost of the two world wars and the importance of remembrance.

"The public's interest in this anniversary is an indication that the Commission's work is as significant today as it was during World War I and an example of the determination we all share to never forget those who died."