Poppy blanket gifted at Somme anniversary event

A Herefordshire remembrance project has been formally presented in the heart of the Somme during commemorations marking 110 years since the start of the Battle of the Somme.

Army veteran and Hay-on-Wye bugler Kelvyn Jenkins travelled to northern France last month for the annual July 1 commemorations, where the Peterchurch Poppy Blanket was handed over to the Somme Branch of the Royal British Legion.

The hand-crafted blanket, made by members of St Peter’s Church in Peterchurch, was presented during a ceremony at the Basilique Notre-Dame de Brebières in Albert. It will now be displayed as a lasting symbol of remembrance and cross-Channel friendship.

During the event, Mr Jenkins sounded the Last Post from the basilica tower balcony, with the notes echoing across the square as those gathered paused in reflection, including RBL representatives, dignitaries and visitors, who had travelled to pay their respects.

Mr Jenkins’ visit is part of his annual pilgrimage to battlefields linked to local men who fought and died on the Western Front. His journey included stops at Lochnagar Crater, Contalmaison, Thiepval Memorial and Mametz Wood, where he will take part in services marking one of the most significant dates in British military history.

The Battle of the Somme began on July 1, 1916, and remains one of the bloodiest battles of the First World War. Fought between British and French forces and the German army, it lasted more than four months along a 15-mile front in northern France.

What followed July 1 was months of attritional trench warfare. By the time the battle ended in November 1916, more than one million men had been killed or wounded across all sides, including around 420,000 British casualties. The first day alone saw nearly 20,000 British soldiers killed and another 40,000 wounded.