Film showing for centenary

It is 100 years since the 1916 Battles of the Somme and the Western Front Association (WFA) and Bailiffgate Museum are collaborating to bring to Alnwick two screenings of the original film, The Battle of the Somme.

While the battles raged, the British War Office authorised two cameramen to film on the battlefield before, during and in the immediate aftermath of some of the heaviest fighting of the Great War.

The iconic images captured are historically important and provide a glimpse of the experiences of those who took part in the campaign.

On Friday, November 11, there will be a special opening of Bailiffgate Museum’s exhibition, While the Lamps Were Out, which focuses on the Home Front. The museum will be open from 6.30pm and The Battle of the Somme will be screened at 7pm.

Normal admission prices apply. Booking is essential on 01665 605847 or [email protected]A second screening will take place on Remembrance Sunday, November 13, at 7.15pm. This will also be at Bailiffgate Museum, but under the auspices of the WFA and with more of a military history perspective on the events of 100 years ago.

The WFA’s event is free of charge. Anyone wishing to attend the Remembrance Day event should contact David Thompson as soon as possible to book a place on [email protected], text to 07718254264 or by calling 01665 710718.

Few of today’s generation will have seen the film in full and the hope is to use it to help people get a better understanding of the events of 1916 and perhaps also spare a thought in remembrance for those who fought, those who were killed and wounded and those who were left behind.