Battle Solemnly Recalled

Belfast City Hall's Cenotaph was today awash with poppy wreaths as the 92nd anniversary of the start of the Battle of the Somme was remembered.

The DUP was represented by MLAs Lord Wallace Browne, Gregory Campbell and Robin Newton.

Orange Order representatives and the loyal order's former Grand Master, Martyn Smyth, also laid a wreath at the Somme remembrance service.

Her Majesty's Lord Lieutenant of the County Borough of Belfast, Lady Carswell also took part, as did the NI President of the Royal British Legion, Colonel Mervyn Elder.

The 2nd Battalion of the Royal Irish Regiment were on parade to honour the fallen alongside a large party of veterans.

The event recalled the thousands from both the 36th (Ulster) and the 16th (Irish) Division died fighting Germany in 1916 and was also marked by the Somme Association, which has conducted its annual commemoration at the Ulster Memorial Tower at Thiepval in France at 3pm this afternoon.

Invited guests included the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Shaun Woodward, former First Minister Ian Paisley, the Commander of the 38th (Irish) Brigade and the Commanding Officer of the 2nd Battalion Royal Irish Regiment.

In June, several commemorations to recall the thousands who died fighting between 1 July and 13 November 1916 in the Battle of the Somme were held.

Wreaths were laid and the traditional two-minute silence observed by local councillors, members and friends from Whiteabbey Royal British Legion at a preliminary Remembrance Day ceremony at the Co Antrim War Memorial, Knockagh.

The solemn occasion at the imposing hill-top memorial was in addition to the following weekend's Carrickfergus Borough Council-led civic occasion at the same venue.

Equally poignant, but less high profile, the Roe Valley Orange Order will undertake one of many such NI commemorations of the Battle of the Somme at a service of remembrance at the town's war memorial tonight.

Limavady has two unique connections to the First World War. Firstly, through one of the borough’s most famous sons, William Ferguson-Massey, who was Prime Minister of New Zealand throughout World War, and one of the oldest bands from Limavady, the Trench Memorial Flute Band, can also trace it origins back to the war.

The band was formed in memory of Major Trench who was killed at the Battle of the Somme. Tonight the band will take centre stage as the district lodge uses the band drums as part of a drumhead Service of Remembrance beginning at 7.30pm

See: Somme Commemoration For Knockagh

(BMcC)