Bristol: Battle of the Somme to be commemorated with all-night vigil

Three British soldiers

The Diocese of Clifton will be commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme with a night of prayer and reflection in Clifton Cathedral in Bristol, on Thursday, 30 June.

The First World War battle was one of the bloodiest in history, taking place in northern France between 1 July and 18 November 1916, and saw more than one million men wounded or killed.

The vigil starts with a multi-faith service at 8.30pm and ends the following morning with Mass at 7.30am. Two minutes of silence will be observed before Mass, at 7:28am, timed to coincide with the moment that troops went 'over the top'. Whistles will blow to start the silence.

For more information see: www.cliftondiocese.com and: www.britishlegion.org.uk/remembrance/ww1-centenary/