Lest We Forget, Those Who Went Before

Today is the 90th anniversay of the first day of the Battle of the Somme. I was reminded of it by a post on one of the boards I waste time on - Not reminded, persay, but educated. Had it not been posted I would not have known. I know the date, but associating it with this day, today, would have escaped me.
This is, on several levels, a failure.

The best dedication to a book I have ever read is in James Clavell's novel King Rat, "For Those Who Were, And Are Not. For Those Who Were, And Are. For Him. But Most, For Her."
I love that, especially, in the present context, the first parts.
I do not think there are any survivors of the Somme still living. Although it is possible, entirely possible. 16 on the field, add 90 years - 106 isnt so hard to live to anymore. But there are most certainly those who were, and are not with us anymore. Never forget them. Never forget what they did, why they did it.
Hate war, as you should, but never fail to love the warrior, or respect them.

I'll raise a glass to the first of them, this day 90 years ago.
The heaviest casualties ever sustained by the British Army on a single day - 19,240 Dead. 40,000 Wounded or Missing.