Members of the Portadown branch of the Royal British Legion, along with the Lord Mayor of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council, Alderman Stephen Moutray, veterans and members of the community, met on Tuesday morning to commemorate the 109th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme.

The symbolic sound of a whistle blast at 7.30am marked the time of the signal on the first day of the battle on July 1, 1916 for soldiers to go ‘over the top’.

Those gathered in Portadown town centre observed an act of remembrance at that moment to commemorate the sacrifices made by all involved, but in particular those from the Portadown area.

Prayers were said at Tuesday morning’s commemoration by the chaplain of Portadown RBL branch, Rev Geoffrey Walmsley.

Paying their respects at the 109th commemoration and remembrance of the Battle of the Somme at Portadown War Memorial. Picture: submitted

placeholder image — Paying their respects at the 109th commemoration and remembrance of the Battle of the Somme at Portadown War Memorial. Picture: submitted

The Battle of the Somme was one of the largest and bloodiest battles of the First World War and symbolises the horrors of warfare. By the end of the battle, which lasted nearly five months, the British Army had suffered 420,000 casualties including nearly 60,000 on the first day alone.

Among those were 75 Portadown soldiers who killed in action, with many more wounded.

Their names are on the town’s war memorial and all were each read out at the remembrance service, “Name said, never forgotten”.

"This battle lasted until Novenber of 1916 and many more would die from the town before its end, but the sacrifices made on this first day will never be forgotten,” said a spokesperson for Portadown RBL. “We will remember them”