IT is 100 years since the start of The Battle of the Somme in which tens of thousands of soldiers were killed and injured.

Fighting broke out on July 1, 1916, and on Thursday, June 30, there will be a special event at St Alban’s Church, in Hindhead, to remember those waiting to “go over the top” and mark the centenary of WWI’s most famous battle.

A short vigil will begin at 8pm and will include readings, poems, music and prayers.

Rev Richard Bodle said: “It is impossible to imagine what those troops were feeling and what they faced when the fighting began. We hope this quiet event will remind us of their sacrifice, how much we owe them, and the importance of seeking peace in our world and our communities.”

Everyone is welcome to attend.

• Wormley-based Past Pleasures, the UK’s leading live interpretation company, has been commissioned by London’s Imperial War Museum to take part in its special free event, ‘The Night Before the Somme’, on June 30, from 8pm to midnight.

A group of 20 Past Pleasures interpreters will share the thoughts and feelings of real men and women who were there, drawing directly from the museum collection.

• St Mary’s Church, in Chiddingfold, is marking the centenary with a commemorative evensong at 6.30pm on Sunday, July 3.

Rector Rev Sarah Brough said: “Four soldiers from Chiddingfold died on the Somme and some are named on the Thiepval memorial.

“Representatives from our fellow churches, The Royal British Legion, the parish council, the uniformed organisations and other village groups will place special votive candles around the war memorial afterwards where we will keep two minutes silence.

“The wife of our speaker Col Tony Ward, who recently led a Somme battlefield tour, will place a candle in memory of of the families who lost a loved one. An officer in uniform representing the British Army will lay a special commemorative wreath.”