The 141-day Battle of the Somme began on 1 July 1916, preceded by an artillery barrage so loud that a rumble could be heard 50 miles across the Channel in England. On the very first day of battle, one man was killed in action on average every 4.4 seconds; 37 sets of brothers lost their lives.

Some of the worst hit during the battle were members of the ‘pals’ battalions’, volunteer units with little or no fighting experience. The youngest person to fight in the Somme is believed to have been Sidney Lewis, who was just 13.

By the time the battle ended on 18 November 1916, it had claimed the lives of 420,000 British soldiers.

A collection of all the images posted on social media of today's #WeAreHere memorials can be viewed here.

Top image: Gemma Swallow/Twitter

WW1 soldiers appear across the UK in emotional tribute to men killed in the Somme