A single bell will toll from local churches on Friday at the exact time 100 years ago that the first troops went over the top at the start of the Battle of the Somme.

People have been invited to come and remember that darkest day in silence and prayers from 7.30am until 8am on Friday, July 1.

About 50 churches across the West Yorkshire diocese – from Skipton in the Dales, Bellerby and Leyburn in Wensleydale, Darton in Barnsley, Priory church at Bolton Abbey, scores of churches across Leeds, Huddersfield, Bradford and the Holmfirth areas - are taking part.

Local churches where a bell will be tolled include Huddersfield Parish: Dewsbury Minster: St Bartholomew’s, Meltham; Christ Church, New Mill; Holy Trinity, Hepworth; St Stephen’s, Lindley; All Hallows, Almondbury; and Holy Trinity, Holmfirth.

On that day alone in 1916 the British Army suffered almost 58,000 casualties.

Huddersfield Parish Church, Kirkgate, Huddersfield.

Most of the Leeds Pals and the Bradford Pals, along with the hundreds of other “pals” regiments formed up and down the country, perished on the same day in the same hour on the first day of the Battle of the Somme. The Battle which was to last until November 18 saw more than one million men wounded or killed.

The Dean of Wakefield, the Very Revd Jonathan Greener, said: “The loss of life on that day in our towns, cities and villages here in Yorkshire will never be forgotten.

“And we wanted to come together to mark this anniversary and pray together in thanks and in sorrow to all those men of Yorkshire who paid the ultimate price for our freedom today.”