Pause for a moment today.

[Rooster]

This day 90 years ago was the start of the Battle of the Somme, it affected practically every town and village in Ulster.
The 36th (Ulster) and 16th (Irish) Divisions were in the thick of the battle between 1 July and 13 November.

On the first day alone of the battle over 2000 died, 216 Officers and 5266 Men of the 36th Ulster Division died in total in that battle. Before it ended more than one million British, French and German soldiers were killed.

The battle claimed the lives of 420,000 British soldiers.

French casualties were estimated at 195,000 and the German loss of life was about 650,000.

Read the full BBC article HERE

[browner]

http://www.webmatters.net/france/ww1_ulster.htm

[Jackie Brown]

Read in the snoozeletter, 25% of allied casualties at the Somme over the 5 months were Ulstermen. Two great grandads on my mothers side both fought at the Somme, both came home although they were both wounded.

[colinh]

Nor should we forget all the soldiers form Germany, Wales, England Scotland and Southern Ireland who were duped into fighting in this atrocity. Bravery at its best. If you have ever been to the Soome you will be amazed at the distances between the two sides. Roughly about the width of a rugby pitch. Native cunning saw the Ulstermen and some other enlightened divisions make great gains but bungling stupidity saw those gains lost by inflexible response.

[Rooster]

A great article in todays Irish Times including a mention of the IRFU volunteer corps. Check it out HERE

[coach]

Horrific

[Jackie Brown]

Glad the Southern Irish are finally official remembering these brave soldiers.

[browner]

http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/0500rugb ... _page.html