Ceremony marks 93rd anniversary of Battle of the Somme (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Ceremony marks 93rd anniversary of Battle of the Somme

8:10pm Wednesday 1st July 2009

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A poignant chime of bells today announced a ceremony remembering Bradford’s brave sons who died at the Battle of the Somme 93 years ago.

Centenary Square came to a virtual standstill at 11am as families joined former servicemen and dignitaries to commemorate the anniversary of the First World War’s bloodiest battle.

They were recalling the sacrifice made by the Bradford Pals, the friends, sportsmen and colleagues who joined the Army together only to be mown down in their hundreds on July 1, 1916.

The Germans gunned down 1,770 of the 2,000 Bradford soldiers, including most of the Pals. Every Bradford street was left in mourning.

The Lord Mayor of Bradford, Councillor John Godward, led the tributes, laying a wreath at the Pals memorial, that bears the inscription: “And lo, a mighty army came out of the North.”

Although the last of the Bradford Pals died in the late 1990s, they were very much alive in the hearts of all those who gathered in the Square.

Royal British Legion member Keith Webster, 75, of Wilsden, was remembering his grandfather Issac Longbotom, who died in the Battle of Loos in 1916.

“My mother Annie Webster, who is 102, was too ill to come today but I’m here for her too,” he said.

Steve Hall and Tony Eastell, of Keighley, brought a photocopy of the War Office telegram dated July 26, 1916, recording the death of their great-great-great uncle, Edmund Booth, of Princeville, Bradford, who was killed in action on the first day of the Somme.

Mr Hall said: “He has an unmarked grave. Our family never got any more details.”

Towards the end of the ceremony and after sounding the Last Post, bugler David Peckover pulled a harmonica from his pocket for an impromptu round of tunes from the trenches. In soft and low voices, the crowd joined in.

Former Lord Mayor of Bradford Allan Hillary, who re-instigated the ceremony seven years ago after a gap of four decades, said: “Bradford’s contribution to that conflict was tremendous. Most cities only raised one battalion but such was our city’s commitment that we raised two.”

e-mail: kathie.griffiths@telegraphandargus.co.uk

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