1 July 2016

The First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, senior Royals and politicians joined over 10,000 people at Thiepval Memorial to the Missing in France to remember those who fought at the Battle of the Somme.

The battle was the most devastating encounter of the First World War and saw more than a million men wounded or killed, 420,000 of them from the British Army.

At 7.28am – 100 years exactly from start of the Battle of the Somme – we fall silent to remember those who fought and died. #Somme100

— Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) July 1, 2016

Today we reflect on the courage & sacrifice of our forebears during the Battle of the #Somme https://t.co/VxyXFPPtbG pic.twitter.com/bFgMw4tla7

— SCOTS Museum (@SCOTS_Museum) July 1, 2016

Losses on the first day were the worst in the history of the British Army, with 57,470 casualties of whom 19,240 died. That huge scale of loss was matched by that among other armies which took part in the battle.

More coverage of today's #Somme100 events on our websitehttps://t.co/ipSn97faiv https://t.co/ibZwbdAfzV

— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) July 1, 2016

The First Minister, who will be attending the remembrance event at the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing in France, said:

It is now exactly one hundred years since the start of the Battle of the Somme – the opening day of which has gone down in history as one of the bloodiest in the history of armed conflict.

Barely a single community in Scotland was left untouched by the battle. Across Scotland communities are now remembering those who gave their lives, and a whole century on from the devastation and suffering of the Battle of the Somme, we should all reflect on the horrors of the Great War and give thanks that our continent now lives in peace.”