Wing Commander Williams – Mayor of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council – was speaking as many stopped to remember the sacrifice of those who died in what remains the bloodiest battle in British Army history.

He added: “Today we remember the sacrifice of the many who went over the top to their deaths, with the number of those lost reaching thousands by the end of the battle.

“As the years go by, each new generation should be reminded of the sacrifice made by those on this day and the days following, so their sacrifice is never forgotten. We all must do what we can to honour them.”