French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Theresa May on Friday laid a wreath at a memorial on the Somme River to honor soldiers killed in World War I, ahead of the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the end of the Great War.
The Somme Offensive, conducted from July to November 1916, was supposed to hasten the victory of the Allies against the German Empire, but after four months of trench warfare and more than a million dead, the Great War lasted two full years.
In honor of the fallen soldiers, Macron and May laid a wreath of cornflowers and poppies, which in France and Britain are national symbols of memory for fallen soldiers.
The memorial monument at Tiepval, overlooking the Somme, was erected in honor of the 72.000 British and South African soldiers who died in that battle and have no grave of their own.
May said that the tribute is a time "when we reflect on our shared history, but also look towards our shared future", according to Hina.
"We remember the heroes who lost their lives in the horrors of the trenches. And as the sun sets on the centenary of remembrance, we will never forget their sacrifice," May said.
Gallery
Bonus video:
