Remembering every man who fell on the first day of the Battle of the Somme

More than 394 soldiers from The Devonshire Regiment will be individually remembered in a unique and historic centenary art project commemorating the fallen of the Battle of the Somme.

The 19240 Shrouds of the Somme commemorates all 19,240 allied soldiers who fell on the first day of the battle which began on July 1st 1916.

Exactly 100 years to the day later, at the same time as the whistle was blown to ‘go over the top’, 19,240 hand-stitched shrouded figures representing every soldier have been revealed, laid out in Exeter’s Northernhay Gardens.

The names of the fallen have been marked by the artist Rob Heard who has seven volumes of the War Graves Commission’s lists of those who died. As each shroud is completed he reads the soldier’s name out loud and symbolically crosses them off the list.

The Devonshire Regiment lost 394 men on the first day of the Battle of the Somme.

The team behind the project are now appealing for volunteers to help on the day.

Group Captain Robin Chambers, representing the Armed Forces charity SSAFA who will benefit from the project, said: “SSAFA was there in 1916 to support the families of those who fell at the Somme and, since 1885 has sup-ported all service personnel and their families. The 19240 Shrouds of the Somme Exhibition is another way in which we can show that we are here to help. 

“The exhibition captures the brutality and emotional impact of service life and, as an all-volunteer charity we are honoured to be asked to supervise the exhibition and assist the public.”

For more information about the project visit www.thesomme19240.co.uk