The battle of the Somme took place 103 year ago today.

On 1st July 1916, the Battle of the Somme commenced. By the end of the battle, in mid-November 1916, Britain had suffered 420,000 casualties, France 205,000 and Germany at least 680,000. In the first day of fighting alone, the deadliest of all, over 20,000 Allied troops died and 10-12,000 Germans. The gain from these months of bloodshed? The Allied forces advanced just eight kilometres, or five miles.

QUICK GUIDE TO Researching your Somme Tommy - 16 key sources that can help you trace them in WW1

SEE THE BLOG ON FORCES WAR RECORDS - https://bit.ly/ResearchingSommeTommy