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The Battle of the Somme started in July 1st 1916. It lasted until November 1916. For many people, the Battle of the Somme was the battle that symbolised the horrors of warfare in World War One; this one battle had a marked effect on overall casualty figures and seemed to epitomise the futility of trench warfare.
For many years those who led the British campaign have received a lot of criticism for the way the Battle of the Somme was fought – especially Douglas Haig. This criticism was based on the appalling casualty figures suffered by the British and the French. By the end of the battle, the British Army had suffered 420,000 casualties including nearly 60,000 on the first day alone. The French lost 200,000 men and the Germans nearly 500,000.

The pipes and Drums of the London Scottish meet at 95 Horseferry Road SW1 on Thursday evenings from 7.00 until around 9.30,
2010 marked the 150th anniversary of The Pipes and Drums of The London Scottish Regiment - one of the five oldest pipe bands in the World. We commemorated the year with a number of celebratory events.
Formed in 1860, the Band also holds the distinction of being the oldest volunteer Pipe Band in the World, the oldest Pipe Band in the World still wearing the uniform of its inception and the oldest pipe band in the World outside of the Regular British Army.
While we are proud of the Band's long and unique history, our feet are firmly planted in the Twenty-First Century and confidently marching forwards. While we undertake many formal military duties throughout the year, for and on behalf of the Regiment, we have also performed live on stage at the O2 Arena with the Manic Street Preachers and have shared a stage with the likes of Snow Patrol, The Kaiser Chiefs and Michael MacIntyre.
In the last few years we have undertaken tours to France, Belgium, Germany, Spain, Holland, Italy and Gibraltar as well as appearing at many high profile events in the UK, including Beating Retreat on Horseguards Parade, The Windsor Military Tattoo, The Royal Caledonian Ball and The Lord Mayors Show.
The Pipes and Drums have appeared in various movies (including 'Tunes of Glory' and 'The Longest Day'); have performed in stage plays and on national television and radio; have two current CD releases and have appeared in newspaper, magazine and television advertisements (the latest of which you can see here).

We will be entering a number of competitions in the coming season on both sides of The Border as we continually strive to improve the band.

We are always on the lookout for new members who wish to be part of this unique blend of military and civilian history and we welcome drummers and pipers who can contribute to a band with strong traditions and a healthy future.

Those wishing to join the Pipes and Drums are not required to become serving members of the Territorial Army but we will support fully any who wish to do so. The current band is a mix of civilians, serving TA soldiers and ex-regular army/TA members. There is also no requirement to be of Scottish descent.
A view of the amazing Scottish country taken from across Scotland !
A number of the photographs were taken by my friends.
Accompanied by the amazing music...Battle of the Somme by The Pipes and Drums of The London Scottish Regiment. Available@Amazon
I hope you enjoy viewing :)