RELATIVES of Herefordshire soldiers who died on the bloodiest single day of the First World War are being offered a unique opportunity to visit the graves of their loved ones.

Thousands of county men were killed or wounded during the battle of the Somme, a name that has become a byword for the suffering of a generation.

On the first day of the battle – July 1 1916 – more than 20,000 British soldiers lost their lives.

It went down in history as the blackest day of the British Army.

Battlefield Memorial Tours press spokesman John Phillpott said: “Many men from Herefordshire were heavily involved in the fighting on the Somme.”

The trip will also take in the Belgian town of Mons, scene of the first clash between British and German soldiers in 1914, and Ypres, the setting for four long years of trench warfare.

Mr Phillpott added: “Battlefield Memorial Tours takes relatives to the cemeteries where their loved ones are buried. This special service is included in the price.”

The trip will run from July 5 to 9. For more information, visit www.battlefieldmemorialtours.co.uk or contact Brian Long on 01629 650780.

JOHN PHILLPOTT

Hill Avenue, Worcester