BATTLE OF THE SOMME: CENTENARY - QUESTION FOR SHORT DEBATE

14 March 2016: Lord Lexden asked Her Majesty’s Government whether they have plans to mark the centenary of the Battle of the Somme in 2016. during the debate.... Lord Faulkner of Worcester: ....I start with the warmest of compliments to everyone who has so far been involved with the centenary programme. The range of events that since 2014 have already taken place in the United Kingdom and on the battlefields involving the general public, the inclusiveness of groups participating—particularly the large number of schoolchildren, the solemn programme of commemorations in churches and cathedrals, and the depictions of what life was like on the home front during those terrible times—have all been inspirational and demonstrated that the public’s imagination has been captured. The mood and tone of those events have been exactly right—something that many of us were worried about at the beginning of the programme but are now completely satisfied by .......     read contribution in full

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