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| Britons Put Rancor Aside to Commemorate the Battle of the Somme | Britons Put Rancor Aside to Commemorate the Battle of the Somme |
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| LONDON — Britons paused on Friday from the acrimony that has come after the vote to exit the European Union to mark the 100th anniversary of the start of the Battle of the Somme, one of the most murderous military confrontations in history. | LONDON — Britons paused on Friday from the acrimony that has come after the vote to exit the European Union to mark the 100th anniversary of the start of the Battle of the Somme, one of the most murderous military confrontations in history. |
| Even as the governing Conservative Party and opposition Labour Party were consumed with intrigue and bickering, and London’s financial district struggled to contain the economic fallout of the so-called Brexit decision, the BBC and other broadcasters interrupted their constant coverage of Britain’s domestic political crisis to shift to the Thiepval Memorial in northern France. | Even as the governing Conservative Party and opposition Labour Party were consumed with intrigue and bickering, and London’s financial district struggled to contain the economic fallout of the so-called Brexit decision, the BBC and other broadcasters interrupted their constant coverage of Britain’s domestic political crisis to shift to the Thiepval Memorial in northern France. |
| There, Prime Minister David Cameron of Britain joined President François Hollande of France to pay respects to the dead. They were joined by Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the Labour Party; First Minister Nicola Sturgeon of Scotland; senior members of Britain’s royal family, including Prince Charles and his sons, Prince William and Prince Harry; and representatives of Germany, Pakistan, Canada and South Africa. All told, more than 10,000 people gathered at the memorial, which commemorates 70,000 British and Commonwealth soldiers who were buried there without gravestones. | |
| The timing of the ceremony, eight days after the Brexit vote, offered a counterpoint at a time when the ideal of European unity, which emerged from the devastation of two world wars, is particularly strained. | The timing of the ceremony, eight days after the Brexit vote, offered a counterpoint at a time when the ideal of European unity, which emerged from the devastation of two world wars, is particularly strained. |
| It was the second time Mr. Cameron and Mr. Hollande had seen each other this week — the first was on Tuesday, at a tense European Union summit meeting in Brussels, where Mr. Cameron reportedly told leaders, including Mr. Hollande, that the British might have voted to stay in the 28-nation bloc if Europe had allowed Mr. Cameron to stop or slow immigration into Britain. | It was the second time Mr. Cameron and Mr. Hollande had seen each other this week — the first was on Tuesday, at a tense European Union summit meeting in Brussels, where Mr. Cameron reportedly told leaders, including Mr. Hollande, that the British might have voted to stay in the 28-nation bloc if Europe had allowed Mr. Cameron to stop or slow immigration into Britain. |
| At the lip of the Lochnagar Crater — a 100-foot-deep chasm in the village of La Boisselle, France, where a mine was detonated during the first hours of the military offensive — a trench whistle was sounded to mark the moment on July 1, 1916, when roughly 120,000 men left their trenches not knowing if they would live or die. The battle was particularly bloody for Britain; nearly 60,000 men were killed or wounded on the first day alone. | At the lip of the Lochnagar Crater — a 100-foot-deep chasm in the village of La Boisselle, France, where a mine was detonated during the first hours of the military offensive — a trench whistle was sounded to mark the moment on July 1, 1916, when roughly 120,000 men left their trenches not knowing if they would live or die. The battle was particularly bloody for Britain; nearly 60,000 men were killed or wounded on the first day alone. |
| At 7:28 a.m. across Britain, military veterans and British civilians observed two minutes of silence to commemorate the battle. People stopped in their tracks, from Waterloo Station in London, to Edinburgh Castle, to the Welsh National War Memorial in Cardiff. Soldiers handed out cards with the names of soldiers who had died 100 years ago. | At 7:28 a.m. across Britain, military veterans and British civilians observed two minutes of silence to commemorate the battle. People stopped in their tracks, from Waterloo Station in London, to Edinburgh Castle, to the Welsh National War Memorial in Cardiff. Soldiers handed out cards with the names of soldiers who had died 100 years ago. |
| In Parliament Square, across from the Houses of Parliament at Westminster, the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery fired guns that had been used in the First World War. | In Parliament Square, across from the Houses of Parliament at Westminster, the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery fired guns that had been used in the First World War. |
| Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday laid a wreath at the tomb of the Unknown Warrior at Westminster Abbey. An all-night vigil was held around the tomb for the first time in five decades. | Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday laid a wreath at the tomb of the Unknown Warrior at Westminster Abbey. An all-night vigil was held around the tomb for the first time in five decades. |
| A commemoration in Manchester, the largest city in northern England, included a parade, a wreath-laying service at the cenotaph, a war memorial there, a service at the cathedral and an evening concert. | A commemoration in Manchester, the largest city in northern England, included a parade, a wreath-laying service at the cenotaph, a war memorial there, a service at the cathedral and an evening concert. |
| The shows of unity were a potent contrast to the divisions of recent days. “A poignant tribute to the thousands of soldiers who lost their lives at the Battle of the Somme 100 years ago today has given us all a reminder of what’s important,” The Mirror, a left-leaning tabloid, said. “These men went over the top of their trenches not knowing whether they would be returning that night — and many of them didn’t.” | The shows of unity were a potent contrast to the divisions of recent days. “A poignant tribute to the thousands of soldiers who lost their lives at the Battle of the Somme 100 years ago today has given us all a reminder of what’s important,” The Mirror, a left-leaning tabloid, said. “These men went over the top of their trenches not knowing whether they would be returning that night — and many of them didn’t.” |
| Mandy Charlton, a writer based in Newcastle, England, wrote on Twitter: “With all that is happening in the country right now, this really puts things into perspective.” The hashtag #wearehere was prevalent on Twitter, a reference to a song — “We’re Here Because We’re Here” — that soldiers in the trenches sang to the tune of “Auld Lang Syne.” | Mandy Charlton, a writer based in Newcastle, England, wrote on Twitter: “With all that is happening in the country right now, this really puts things into perspective.” The hashtag #wearehere was prevalent on Twitter, a reference to a song — “We’re Here Because We’re Here” — that soldiers in the trenches sang to the tune of “Auld Lang Syne.” |
| The Battle of the Somme took place in northern France along the Somme river, with hundreds of thousands of Allied troops facing the German enemy. | The Battle of the Somme took place in northern France along the Somme river, with hundreds of thousands of Allied troops facing the German enemy. |
| The battle dragged on for five months and more than one million people on all sides were wounded or died. “German dead literally carpet the ground along the whole of the long battle front, and many of the prisoners evacuated on the rear are half demented as a result of the terror which the Allied onslaught has inspired in them,” according to the July 2, 1916, edition of The New York Herald. | The battle dragged on for five months and more than one million people on all sides were wounded or died. “German dead literally carpet the ground along the whole of the long battle front, and many of the prisoners evacuated on the rear are half demented as a result of the terror which the Allied onslaught has inspired in them,” according to the July 2, 1916, edition of The New York Herald. |
| Commemorations will continue in the Somme area to mark the contributions of other Commonwealth countries: in Courcelette, on July 2, for Canada; in Bois Delville, on July 10, for South Africa; in Pozières, on July 19 and 23, for Australia, and in Longueval, on Sept. 15, for New Zealand. | Commemorations will continue in the Somme area to mark the contributions of other Commonwealth countries: in Courcelette, on July 2, for Canada; in Bois Delville, on July 10, for South Africa; in Pozières, on July 19 and 23, for Australia, and in Longueval, on Sept. 15, for New Zealand. |
| The Somme resonates in a much stronger way with the British than it does with the French, where collective memory around World War I has coalesced instead around the Battle of Verdun. | The Somme resonates in a much stronger way with the British than it does with the French, where collective memory around World War I has coalesced instead around the Battle of Verdun. |