French President Francois Hollande and British Prime Minister David Cameron were commemorating one of the bloodiest battles in history on Friday, marking their erstwhile collaboration at a moment of European splintering.
The two leaders were scheduled to take part in a midday commemoration ceremony at Thiepval, in northern France.
Report says the memorial stands to the over 1 million people who were killed, wounded or went missing during the Battle of the Somme.
Beginning on July 1 and dragging on through November in 1916, the battle was one of the largest of World War I.
It prompted a political shift that partly laid the foundations for another war less than three decades later, leading European nations to ultimately pledge alliance with one another instead of enmity.
The pledge saw an unprecedented challenge on Saturday, when Britain voted to leave the EU and sever its ties with the most prominent institution of regional cooperation.
While other officials were initially scheduled to attend the ceremony, Hollande and Cameron’s last-minute decision to attend was a sign of the countries’ continued bond.
French and British forces fought together during the Battle of the Somme to resist the advance of Germany.
In Brussels on Monday for the first European Council meeting without Britain, Hollande said he would attend the ceremony as a symbol of France’s continued close ties with its neighbour across the English Channel.
Cameron said that Britain would hold a two-minute silence on Friday morning to mark the battle’s centenary.
“It is right that the whole country pauses to remember the sacrifices of all those who fought and lost their lives in that conflict,’’ he said.
Members of the British royal family, including Prince William, Catherine, the duchess of Cambridge, and Prince Harry, travelled to France on Thursday to attend a vigil for the centenary.
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