WREATHS have been laid at a special remembrance event in Bradford honoring the sacrifices made by local men during World War One.

Saturday marked 101 years since the first day of the Battle of the Somme when 1,400 Bradford Pals went over the top fighting for their king and country.

Out of those men, an estimated 917 were wounded and 230 of them died on the battlefield or from their wounds soon after.

Bradford Territorials in the 6th battalion West Yorks regiment also experienced the horror of that day but stayed on the Somme battling it out, suffering heavy loss of life on July 25 and September 3, 1916.

The Lord Mayor of Bradford Councillor Abid Hussain was at the service in the Memorial Garden behind the Bradford Cenotaph with other dignitaries and representatives from organisations including The Royal British Legion, the Mechanics Institute World War 1 Group and West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service.

The Lord Mayor’s Chaplain Mufti Khurshid Alam Sabri led a reflection.

A lone bugler sounded The Last Post which marked the start of a one minute’s silence.

Cllr Hussain said: “The sacrifices of those young men from Bradford who came together to form the Bradford Pals and who gave so much during the First World War and particularly the Battle of the Somme should never be forgotten.

“We should also remember the grief and suffering of those families whose loved ones never returned home.”