WWI Somme offensive turned into one of the deadliest days in the history of modern warfare
July 1, 2016 marks the 100th anniversary of the first Battle of the Somme - which eventually claimed 1,250,000 casualties including 24,029 Canadians. In a single morning, The Newfoundland Regiment was almost wiped out near Beaumont-Hamel. Photos show battlefield then and now.
A ceremony July 1 at the Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial in France commemorates the 100th anniversary of the start of the battle of the Somme.Niall Carson
Canadian soldiers return from trenches during the Battle of the Somme, France in 1916.Library and Archives Canada/Reuters
Prince Charles lays a wreath at the Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial in France.Pool/Getty Images
Two gas shells explodes near Canadian lines during the Battle of the Somme, France.Library and Archives Canada/Reuters
A view of the cemetery at Beaumont Hamel.Matt Cardy/Getty Images
Canadian stretcher bearers carry the dead from a battlefield during the Battle of the Somme.Library and Archives Canada/Reuters
The remains of trenches are seen in the Newfoundland Memorial Park at Beaumont Hamel.Matt Cardy/Getty Images
Wounded are dressed in a trench during the Battle of the Somme.Library and Archives Canada/Reuters
The preserved Beaumont-Hamel battlefield is the ground where the Newfoundland Regiment made their unsuccessful attack on July 1, 1916, the opening day of the Battle of the Somme.The Associated Press
Soldiers are dwarfed by a shell crater on a road during the Battle of the Somme.Library and Archives Canada/Reuters
The remains of trenches are seen in the Newfoundland Memorial Park at Beaumont Hamel.Matt Cardy/Getty Images
A gunnery officer writes a Christmas message on a Canadian heavy howitzer during the Battle of the Somme.Library and Archives Canada/Reuters