ANNIVERSARY
Verdun and the Somme centenary
By Mike Tyler
February 2, 2016 - The great World War I battles of Verdun (which began February 21, 1916) and the Somme (the first battle of which began July 1, 2016) have come to symbolise the horrors of trench warfare on the Western Front, but the sacrifice of more than two million men was a decisive factor that eventually helped to bring an end to the conflict.