IT was a moving Hampshire tribute to remember those who died in the Battle of the Somme.

A field of poppy crosses at Serle’s House in Winchester has been laid as part of the 100th anniversary of the brutal First World War battle.

A squad of volunteers dressed as Tommies were also deployed in Southampton as part of a nationwide initiative to remember the battle.

Check back tomorrow for our full picture gallery from commemorations in Hampshire

A 24-hour vigil was held at Westminster Abbey in London finishing at 7.30am on Friday morning, the time when officers blew their whistles and British soldiers climbed out of their trenches to advance across no man’s land.

By the end of the first day 20,000 were dead and 40,000 injured or missing.

The anniversary has been marked nationwide with a two-minute silence at 7.28am.

Five battalions of the then Hampshire Regiment took part in the clash which ran from July to November 1916.

Daily Echo:

Volunteers dressed as Tommies in Southampton Guildhall Square

Lieutenant Colonel Colin Bulleid, secretary to the trustees of the Royal Hampshire Regiment Trust, said the first battalion of the Hampshire Regiment who went over the top on July 1 lost 559 men and 26 officers, either killed, wounded or missing in the first 24 hours.

The report of the battle wasn’t written up for weeks as the officers were too badly injured.

A total of 1,280 crosses have been placed in the grounds of Serle’s House in Southgate Street, that is the same number of men in the Hampshire regiment who died in the campaign.

Lt Col Bulleid said: “In the total war we lost just over 8,000 so 1,280 were killed in this campaign alone.

“To mark the 100th anniversary it is extremely important we remember the sacrifice of these soldiers.”

Yesterday volunteers led by Southampton’s Nuffield Theatre were part of a UK-wide event as a modern memorial to mark the centenary of the Battle of the Somme.

Commissioned by 14-18 NOW, the UK’s arts programme for the First World War centenary, the work was conceived and created by Turner Prize-winning artist Jeremy Deller in collaboration with Rufus Norris, Director of the National Theatre.

The specially commissioned event saw over 1500 voluntary participants dressed in First World War uniform appear unexpectedly in locations across the UK including Guildhall Square in Southampton.

The volunteers were men aged between 16-49, reflecting the ages of the men who would have fought in the Somme.

The Prince of Wales, Duchess of Cornwall, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry were at the Thiepval Memorial, created to remember the 72,246 British Empire servicemen who died but do not have known graves.