Tonight, TVO’s The Agenda aired a discussion with photographer Racheal McCaig who is creating the photo exhibit “Je Me Souviens: Vimy 100” to mark the centenary of the famous Battle of Vimy Ridge.
Thus begins The Guardian’s live coverage of the 100th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme in Great Britain on July 1, 2016.
Across the British nation, cities, towns, and villages came to a full stop for two minutes. After those two minutes of reverent silence, battle whistles were blown and church bells rang.
I had no idea it was the anniversary of this battle, but I quickly found out as I watched my Twitter feed fill with photos of ceremonies across the ocean.
The Battle of the Somme is Britain’s Vimy in that it is just as deeply imprinted in the national’s collective memory as Vimy is imprinted in ours. The difference is the Somme is scarred into their collective memory, whereas Vimy is seen as a triumphant moment which forged the beginning of Canadians being a distinct nationality.
The 1st day of the Somme remains the bloodiest day in the history of the British Army.
On the 1st day of the #Somme, British Army suffered 57,470 casualties, incldng 19,240 killed – heaviest casualty toll in a 24 hour period.
— Imperial War Museums (@I_W_M) July 1, 2016
Hamiltonians can relate, on a much smaller scale, with our experience at Dieppe during the Second World War. Every Hamiltonian knew someone or the family of someone killed at Dieppe. The tragedy of the Somme was the same on a national scale.
Marking the Centenary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge
Watching the commemoration of the Somme on Twitter was a moving experience.
We should do the same in Canada to mark the Centenary.
The City of Hamilton should hold services at our Cenotaphs with two minutes of silence at 5:30am on the Sunday morning of April 7, 2017. It was at exactly 5:30am on that dark Easter Monday morning of April 9, 2017 the artillery fired, beginning the fateful battle.
Churches should be encouraged to ring their bells at the end of the two minutes of silence.
The centenary provides us an opportunity to commemorate the service of all during the First World War, and that it falls on a Sunday will enable more people to participate in commemoration.
https://twitter.com/xxmollyrxx/status/749148820680900609
Proud my son was a ghost soldier in #wearehere Glasgow but sobering as he's same age as many killed at #TheSomme pic.twitter.com/KatXH537un
— paul Kelbie (@paulKelbie1) July 1, 2016
Leeds falls silent to remember sacrifice of city’s soldiers at #TheSomme https://t.co/4S1TMmofCU #Leeds #yeplive pic.twitter.com/pG260W6pJS
— YorkshireEveningPost (@LeedsNews) July 1, 2016
A remarkable site. A cross for every one of the 91000 killed #someyomp #TheSomme pic.twitter.com/R9Acxi1u7D
— Wyn Morgan (@WynMorgan8) July 1, 2016
Soldiers walking through Manchester.100 years. #TheSomme pic.twitter.com/dnNnMW4NyC
— David Harrison (@dtharrison1) July 1, 2016
19239 laid. 1 last one tomorrow, 100 years after they died at the Somme. Indescribable. Open 7am tomorrow morning pic.twitter.com/Na6ORbBYI0
— Shrouds of the Somme (@thesomme19240) June 30, 2016
Remembering the Brave #BattleoftheSomme #wewillrememberthem #Somme100 #TheSomme Pictures by @RobbieJBarratt pic.twitter.com/GQohehCobG
— TheBrooksbankSchool (@thebrooksbank) July 1, 2016
Please Share #TheSomme #LestWeForget #Somme100 #somme2016 pic.twitter.com/oLWIf3h1ho
— Elmstead Weather (@ElmsteadWeather) June 30, 2016