Cornwall’s special service to commemorate the Centenary of the Battle of the Somme is being held at St Petroc’s Church, Bodmin at 11am today (July 1).

Extracts from the silent film of the Battle will be shown in St Petroc’s Church from 10.30am prior to the start of the service. 

The service will include poems, readings and acts of remembrance including ’Whistle for the Somme’ where three short blasts will be blown on a whistle in memory of the signal on The Western Front to the troops to go ‘over the top’.

Cornwall’s Lord Lieutenant Colonel Edward Bolitho will lay a wreath; the last post will sound and the Grand Bard, Merv Davey, will end the two minutes’ silence by playing a lament on the pipes.

Everyone who would like to attend the service will be very welcome; tickets are not necessary, but those attending should arrive early in order to secure a seat.

Liskeard Branch of the Royal British Legion will be holding a Drumhead Service to commemorate the anniversary of the Battle of the Somme.

The event will take place at 2pm on Sunday, July 3, outside the Cornish Times Office on the Parade, Liskeard. The service will be conducted by Branch Chaplain Kevin Grant and will be followed by a reception in the British Legion Club for Reg Jago, who was recently awarded the Legion of Honour, for the part he played in the D Day landings.

In Plymouth, Troops from the Royal Artillery will be paying tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice 100 years ago.

At 7.30am today, led by Plymouth-based 29 Commando Regiment Royal Artillery, the City of Plymouth will commemorate the loss of the ‘flower of a generation’ at a ceremony on Plymouth Hoe. 29 Commando was brought together for that battle on the Somme as part of the Army’s 7th Division.