Sidmouth stood still this morning to mark one hundred years since the Battle of the Somme.
Crowds gathered outside Sidmouth Parish Church to commemorate 100 years since the charge, which lost 19,240 men on its first day – the worst in British military history.
Members of the Royal British Legion’s Sidmouth branch marched to the war memorial before the Reverend Canon Dr Philip Bourne began the special service.
Among the losses on July 1 1916, were two Sidmouth soldiers, privates George Robert Channing and Ernest Charles Stephen Cox.
A full list of fallen soldiers was read out during the service.
Kim Smith, president of the Sidmouth branch, read the exhortation followed by a chorus of ‘we will remember them’ from the congregation.
The Reverend Canon Philip Bourne led the service with readings from members of the RBL.
Councillors Stuart Hughes and Jeff Turner were among those to lay a wreath in remembrance.
GCSE student Ben Johnson paid tribute to the Devonshire Regiment by bringing war time memorabilia he found when visiting the regiment ceremony in Mametz, France.
See next Friday’s paper for the full article.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here