100 years ago today (01.07.2016) the Allied Forces in World War One began the largest attack on the German lines for the whole of the first two years of the war.
The Somme was considered a disaster for the British Army with 19,240 soldiers loosing their lives in the first day of the battle.
The German lines were bomarded by the Allies for seven days with over one million shells fired around their trenches. However the German forces were well dug in, meaning many of the shells failed to make any difference to the defensive positions of the German Army.
During the 141 day attack the British and Allied forces manage to advance seven miles before the attack had to be suspended due to poor weather. For those seven miles there were more than 420,000 British casualties with more than a million on all sides being killed or injured.
Speaking about the anniversary, William Wragg MP said; "100 years ago today, young men from British and Commonwealth Forces as well as other Allied Forces took part in the Somme. We should never forget the sacrifice of these young men and what they stood and fell for."
If you would like more information on the Battle of the Somme, follow this link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/timelines/ztngxsg