History
Back to NewsroomThe 110th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme
1 July 2026 marked the 110th anniversary of the beginning of the Battle of the Somme. Each year, hundreds of people attend commemorative services held at key memorial sites in Albert region. This year’s commemorations were marked by the presence of Their Royal Highnesses The Princess Royal and The Duke of Gloucester. Australia’s Repatriation Commissioner, Mr Kahlil Fegan DSC AM, also attended.
Let’s look back on the highlights of this day of remembrance.
To mark the beginning of the Battle of the Somme, a service at Lochnagar Crater was held at 7.28am.
A ceremony was held at the Contalmaison Cairn, erected in tribute to the 16th Battalion of the Royal Scots, also know as McCrae’s Battalion.
During the commemorative ceremony, Their Royal Highnesses The Princess Royal, Princess Anne, and His Royal Highness Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester, were accompanied by the Prefect of the Somme, Mr Rollon Mouchel-Blaisot.
At 10.30am, a remembrance service was held at the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme, organised by the Royal British Legion.
The commemorations resumed in the afternoon at the Ulster Memorial Tower in Thiepval.
The service at the Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial paid tribute to the Royal Newfoundland Regiment, which was almost wiped out in the early stages of the Battle of the Somme
The day ended with a parade through the town of Albert, one of the major theatres of the Battle of the Somme.
The Australian Imperial Force fought in the Battle of the Somme at Pozières, from 23 July 1916. Official historian Charles Bean wrote that Pozières was more deeply sown with Australian sacrifice than any other place on earth, with almost 23,000 Australian casualties, including 6,900 killed, in almost six weeks of fighting.
The Battle of the Somme remains one of the most violent battles in history with 58,000 Commonwealth soldiers put out of action on its first day alone. After 5 months of intense combat, the battle incurred almost a million victims, including more than 400,000 dead and missing, all sides included.
