New Battle of the Somme exhibition to launch in Flintshire on Friday

The nation will fall silent for two minutes on Friday, 1 July to mark 100 years since the start of the Battle of the Somme.

At 7:28am the UK will hold a national two-minute silence to mark the moment the first wave of soldiers went over the top in one of the bloodiest battles of the First World War.

It will follow the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery firing guns from Parliament Square for 100 seconds and a reading in Westminster Abbey.

Whistles will be blown to mark the end of the two-minute silence after the 7:30am chimes of Big Ben.

Flintshire Exhibition 

Flintshire Record Office will open an exhibition on Friday to commemorate the Battle of the Somme.

The exhibition entitled “Flintshire Soldiers on the Somme” highlights six soldiers from Flintshire (as it was in 1914) who died during the battle.

The Battle of the Somme resulted in over one million casualties on all sides throughout the 141 day battle.

Commemorative events will be held on Friday in France, London and Manchester during which the nation will remember those who lost their lives and loved ones on the French battlefields.

The commemorative events include:

• An evening service at Westminster Abbey on 30 June attended by HM The Queen followed by an overnight vigil at the Grave of the Unknown Warrior
• A commemorative service at the Thiepval Memorial in France that will tell the story of the Somme through cultural and military content, including hymns, readings and music
• A national commemorative event in Manchester that will include a Home Front and military parade,a wreath laying and Cenotaph service, a service at Manchester Cathedral and an evening concert at Heaton Park
• To pay our respects this silence will be observed in all UK Government Buildings. The public are encouraged to join us in observing this silence.

Flintshire Record Office exhibition will be on show at the Old Rectory, Hawarden between 1 July – 25 August.

It will then tour Flintshire and beyond at the following:

Worthenbury Parish Church: 26 August – 2 September;

Rhyl Parish Church: 5 – 11 September;

Buckley Parish Church: 12 – 19 September;

Ffynnongroyw Parish Church: 20 – 29 September;

Flint Library: 1 – 31 October;

County Hall, Mold: 4 – 18 November.