AFTER a week of political turmoil, there was a very different mood around Enniskillen on Friday as hundreds paid their respects to the thousands who were injured and lost their lives at the Battle of the Somme exactly 100 years ago. 

Just after 7am at Enniskillen Castle, it was a time for poignant reflection as a sense of stillness and solemnity proved to be a fitting memorial to the Fermanagh men who made the ultimate sacrifice. 

The centrepiece of the memorial was the sounding of the Somme Bugle, the very one that sounded the advance of the 36th(Ulster) Division on the morning of July 1st 1916. 100 years ago, Drummer Jack Downs of the 10th Battalion, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, sounded the advance sending thousands over the top. A century on, the bugle, which is now held in the collection of the Inniskillings Museum, was played by 17-year-old Portora Royal School pupil Stephen Humphreys.  

Neil Armstrong, curator-manager of the Inniskillings Museum said: “The bugle is the exact sound that our relatives would have heard 100 years ago. We can only imagine what that would have sounded like then. To have it played here at Enniskillen Castle at the birthplace of our regiment is something very strong.” 

The commemoration service at Enniskillen Castle saw tributes paid to all the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers killed on the first two days of the blood-soaked battle. The Inniskillings suffered over 2,000 casualties and 868 of those men were killed. The early morning service was a hugely symbolic event, held outdoors against the backdrop of the historic castle and by the waters of Lough Erne. 

Everyone present was given the unique opportunity to sign The Inniskilling Scroll of Honour which lists the names of all Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers killed on the first two days of the battle. The Scroll was placed in a First World War brass shell case and will be kept in the museum collection as part of the Inniskillings Museum Great War legacy for future generations.

The 100th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme also marked by a wreath laying by the Enniskillen Branch of the Royal British Legion at the Cenotaph on Belmore Street. One of the bravest of all of the local men to fight at the Somme was Captain Eric Bell who was awarded the Victoria Cross. 

On Friday afternoon, a blue plaque was unveiled at his birthplace at Alma Terrace on the Irvinestown Road in Enniskillen by local MP Tom Elliott. An ecumenical Service of Reflection was also held in St. Macartin’s Cathedral on Friday evening when the new Inniskillings Great War Commemorative Window was dedicated in the Regimental Chapel.