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It's like it was yesterday

Incredible COLOUR photographs of the bloody conflict mark 100 years since The Battle of the Somme

The images of the dismal daily life on the Somme were brought to life by colouriser expert Tom Marshall

IT was one of the bloodiest battles in British history and symbolised the horrors of warfare in the First World War - the Battle of the Somme.

To mark the centenary since the start of the vicious fighting,  professional photo colouriser and restorer Tom Marshall, from PhotographFix, decided to add colour to the original black and white images that captured the dismal daily lives of the men.

 A British soldier helps a wounded German prisoner walk along a railway track
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A British soldier helps a wounded German prisoner walk along a railway trackCredit: www.mediadrumworld.com

He said: "Black and white images are too often sadly ignored, especially by younger generations, and by colourising the photos, I hope that more people will stop to look and learn more about the soldiers at the Somme, and what they went through 100 years ago.

"I believe that colour adds another dimension to historic images, and helps modern eyes to connect with the subjects."

 A group of men from the Royal Regiment of Artillery, photographed alongside a long-barrelled field gun
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A group of men from the Royal Regiment of Artillery, photographed alongside a long-barrelled field gunCredit: www.mediadrumworld.com

 

 Three officers making themselves comfortable, near Miraumont-le-Grand, France. Steel helmets had many more uses than the War Office might have intended
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Three officers making themselves comfortable, near Miraumont-le-Grand, France. Steel helmets had many more uses than the War Office might have intendedCredit: www.mediadrumworld.com
 King George V sitting next to an army commander, Thiepval, France on the site where Thiepval Chateau once stood
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King George V sitting next to an army commander, Thiepval, France on the site where Thiepval Chateau once stoodCredit: www.mediadrumworld.com

He added: "Of the thousands of photos taken during the Somme I have chosen a handful to illustrate the living and fighting conditions of British troops from the lowest to highest ranks."

The images include one of King George V who visited the front on several occasions, and one of a British Tommy traipsing through the thick mud with his horse, delivering boots to the men on the front lines.

First World War battle saw 20,000 Brits killed on the first day alone and was later called the "worst day in the history of the British army".

And after months of fighting more than one million soldiers on all sides were killed or injured in the fighting which lasted 141 days.

 Two officers looking out of a small shelter they appear to have made for themselves
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Two officers looking out of a small shelter they appear to have made for themselvesCredit: www.mediadrumworld.com
 Soldiers after crossing the River Somme
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Soldiers after crossing the River SommeCredit: www.mediadrumworld.com
 Artillery stripped trees and a signboard pointing the way for pack transport
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Artillery stripped trees and a signboard pointing the way for pack transportCredit: www.mediadrumworld.com
 Horse and soldier transporting boots
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Horse and soldier transporting bootsCredit: www.mediadrumworld.com
 An explosion taking place on the Somme
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An explosion taking place on the SommeCredit: www.mediadrumworld.com
 Artillerymen outside dugouts
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Artillerymen outside dugoutsCredit: www.mediadrumworld.com

By the end of the battle, the British Army had suffered 420,000 casualties, the French lost 200,000 men and the Germans nearly 500,000.

Thousands of Britons came together to pay a silent tribute to the thousands who died in the Battle of the Somme.

On the eve of the deadliest chapters of World War One, the Duchess of Cambridge was joined by Princes William and Harry for a vigil at the Thiepval Memorial in France.

William paid tribute to the more than 72,000 men whose names adorn the Thiepval monument, whose bodies have never been found, and those laying in Commonwealth cemeteries.

He said: "Tonight, we stand here with a promise to those men: We will remember you. The gift you have given your country is treasured by every one of us this day.

"The sacrifice you made will never, ever be forgotten."

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