THE descendant of an Irvine man killed in the Battle of the Somme says he is “disgusted” that North Ayrshire Council did not organise a ceremony to mark its 100th anniversary.

Calum McClean says he is outraged that no official ceremony was held to mark the centenary year of the battle - and that Irvine’s War Memorial was hidden behind black boards because of the ongoing work to the new leisure centre.

Across Britain and Europe on Friday, millions of people attended memorial events to remember fallen soldiers on the 100th anniversary of what became the bloodiest single day in British military history.

To mark the anniversary, veterans and servicemen gathered across the country to observe two minutes’ silence, marking the moment whistles were blown and some 120,000 men went ‘over the top’ on the first day of the battle.

But in North Ayrshire there was no ceremony to remember the fallen and Calum, whose ancestor William Francie, from Irvine, was one of those who never returned, says he is outraged.

The 52-year-old, from Castlepark Crescent, said: “I went down to the War Memorial in Irvine and couldn’t believe it.

“It’s cordoned off behind big black boards.

“You can’t even see it, never mind pay your respects. I think that’s an absolute disgrace.

“I wasn’t the only one there either. There were five of us altogether who had gone down there to observe the two minutes silence and we had to just stand and stare at a black wall.

“That is bad enough, but the fact that North Ayrshire Council and the British Legion didn’t have an official ceremony to mark the 100th year since the battle is just disgusting.

“There will have been a lot of North Ayrshire men who fell in that battle and for their sacrifice to just be disregarded by North Ayrshire is unacceptable.”

A spokesperson for North Ayrshire Council said: “We have made it a priority to work closely with members of the Irvine Branch of the Royal British Legion to ensure, as far as possible during this construction work at the Town House, the war memorial can be used as a centrepiece for commemorative events.

“Following requests from the British Legion, the war memorial has been available during the last two Remembrance Day and for the recent Armed Forces Day Parade in June although no formal commemorations were proposed to mark the 100th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme.

“We do understand the feelings of those who wished to pay their respects at the war memorial and regret that they were unable to do so. 

“We would be delighted to meet with them in order for them to share their thoughts for future commemorative occasions or activities.

“In addition, we are currently working to commemorate the various aspects of World War One in partnership with local groups and schools across North Ayrshire.”

Former Legion secretary William McMaster said: “It’s very sad that nothing was arranged.

“The council and the Legion should have done more. But the Somme was certainly still remembered.

“I was the co-ordinator for three years and I can’t say I’ve ever experienced anything like this before.”