MEN, women and children of all ages came together in Chippenham at the weekend to commemorate the soldiers who fought and died in the Battle of the Somme.

A vigil was held on Friday at Chippenham war memorial in the Market Place from 7.30pm before a service was held at St Andrew’s Church on Sunday.

More than 100 people attended the service at 4.30pm, which was led by the Reverend Rod Key, including the Chippenham Branch of the Royal British Legion (RBL), Scouts, air cadets and members of the public.

Chairman of the RBL Chippenham Branch, Irene Sinclair, said: “It went really well. I would say there was a good hundred people there and we had lots of Scouts and air cadets.

“Author Richard Broadhead was there and gave a few words on actual people who fought in the battle.

“I think it brought home it wasn’t just a war, it was about the actual people.

“I think it made an impression on the people there.”

The Battle of the Somme was fought between July 1 and November 18, 1916, and is considered one of the bloodiest battles of the First World War.

More than a million men were wounded or killed in the battle, including 21 from Chippenham.

“On the war memorial are 21 names who died in the conflict and we had 21 crosses for them on Friday,” added Mrs Sinclair.

“It brought home that we had people from Chippenham in the battle who didn’t come home.

“We were told how many lives were lost in the first day of the battle.

“That’s a whole small town wiped out completely.”