Men dressed as First World Wars soldiers marched through Dover today to remember those who perished at the Somme.

They even sang the wartime song It’s a Long Way to Tipperary, adding to the poignancy of the occasion.

The re-enactors were joined by veterans and army and sea cadets to pay tribute to the fallen on the 100th anniversary of the start of the battle.

The march and service was the first major parade organised by the year-old Dover White Cliffs branch of the Royal British Legion.

Events started at 11am at the Dover War Memorial in Biggin Street with the sounding of the Last Post, two minutes’ silence and Reveille. A bagpiper also played the Lament to the Battle of the Somme.

Conducting the service was the Rev John Walker, of the town’s St Mary’s Church, who read out a poem called On Somme by battle survivor, Pte Ivor Gurney.

Those laying wreaths at the Memorial included Bill Fawcus, Deputy Lieutenant of Kent, Sandwich Mayor Paul Graeme, Dover Deputy Mayor Chris Precious, Dover District Council vice-chairman David Hannent and Folkestone Deputy Mayor Roger West.

The march began at 11.30am and went through the precinct at Biggin Street and Cannon Street to Market Square where a salute was taken at the fountain crown.

The parade went onto the bandstand at Pencester Gardens where a further service took place.

It was at this last leg of the route that the marchers movingly sang It’s a Long Way to Tipperary.

Those marching with the First World War re-enactors included members of various branches of the Royal British Legion Dover Sea and Army Cadets and the Astor College Combined Cadet Force.

The fourth-month Battle of the Somme, which began on July 1, 1916, was one of the worst of the First World War.

Almost 60,000 British soldiers were killed, wounded or taken prison on that first day, making it the single worst day in the history of the British Army.

Overall an estimated 1 million men died or were wounded including about 485,000 British and French troops.

British commanders had been aiming to take control of a 15-mile stretch of the River Somme in northern France.

A century on farmers in the area are still digging up pieces of barbed wire, which they call the Iron Harvest.

Tanks were first used in this battle but the first one could not drive across trenches and its top speed was less than 2mph.

For more pictures of the commemoration see this coming Thursday's Dover Mercury.