IT was a scene of hope, optimism and new beginnings as thousands of students joined by their parents filed into Durham Cathedral for their graduation ceremony this morning (Friday, July 1).

As the cathedral’s mighty bells tolled the 11th hour, music in the marquees was turned down and the sound of a lone bugle cut through the silence.

  • Help commemorate the sacrifices made by the men of the Durham Light Infantry at the Somme. In the month of July 2016, we are aiming to raise £10,000 to create a battlefield memorial to those who fell 100 years ago. To donate, either go to crowdfunding.justgiving.com/sommememorial and make a pledge, or send a cheque made payable to Former Charities of the Durham Light Infantry to The Rifles Durham Office, Elvet Waterside, Durham DH1 3BW.

The poignant strains of The Last Post, commemorating the anniversary 100th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme, evoked contrasting images of the waste and destruction of war.

The numbers thronging on the Palace Green earlier, were but a fraction of the 50,000 casualties of the first day of battle – among them members of the Durham Pals, who had enlisted as friends across the county.

Indeed B Company of the 18th DLI comprised largely teachers – all of whom were graduates of Durham University’s Bede College.

The bugler today was himself a living link to the fateful battle.

Rifleman Stephen Elliott said: “Today is specially poignant.

“I have been shedding tears the last two days thinking about the guys going over the top at the Battle of the Somme. It’s hard to believe that many men were lost between July and November 1916.

“My grandfather, Private Alastair Elliott, enlisted with the Durham Light Infantry. He was a blacksmith in the Royal Horse Artillery, and served during the battle of the Somme.”

Rifleman Elliott serves, who is in D Company Rifles 5RRF based at Gilesgate, Durham, said: “Think of Palace Green filled ten times over – that is how many men were lost on the first day.

“It is astonishing how many men were wasted really. It is an honour to play on their behalf today and to show my respects as well.”

The event co-incides with the university’s Somme 1916: From Durham to the Western Front exhibition at Place Green Library, which tells the stories of the North-East’s involvement in the battle.

Durham University exhibitions curator Julie Biddlecombe-Brown said: “Today is specially poignant.

“I woke up at 4.30 this morning and just couldn’t sleep thinking about all those men and how they must have been feeling 100 years ago.

“I think it’s almost impossible to be unaffected by the story of the Battle of the Somme and the activities taking place across the country and on the Western Front.”

She added: “I looked down at the students who are graduating today.

“They have their whole lives ahead of them. Put them back 100 years and of that same age group the young men would have been out on the battlefield, while the woman would have been in all sorts of roles and also worried about their brothers husbands and fathers who were out there.

“To me it’s that comparison between the optimism for the future of those young people and the reality of what was happening 100 years ago – and what sacrifice they made so that these young people can enjoy a day like today.”