Ceremonies mark Battle of the Somme

OFFICERS wept, families traced the steps of fallen relatives and church bells tolled across northern France over the weekend to mark the 90th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme, one of history’s worst bloodbaths.

Ceremonies around the world honoured the soldiers of some 20 nationalities who died in — and those who survived — the British-led push against German forces. Thousands of Irish soldiers were among the dead.

Four months of vicious trench warfare ravaged the gentle hills of the Somme region and left more than 1.2 million on both sides dead, wounded or held prisoner.