Emma Little-Pengelly: ​Each Somme headstone speaks of courage and duty, grief and loss ... the bravery of these sons of Ulster shall be remembered forever

It was an honour to be in France to mark the 110th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme on behalf of the Northern Ireland government.

I joined with many others from Northern Ireland who travelled here to remember the sacrifice of the many thousands of men, from all backgrounds and traditions, who made that same journey over a century ago, leaving behind families, homes and futures, and stepping into one of the darkest chapters of human history.

This visit is also deeply personal. Like so many families across Northern Ireland, my own family story is forever intertwined with the Somme.

My great-grandfather, James Sandford, enlisted in the 13th Battalion of the Royal Irish Rifles on 17 September 1914; promoted to the rank of Corporal after the first day of battle. He fought alongside hundreds of other men as part of the 108th Brigade of the 36th (Ulster) Division.

My great-grandmother’s brother, Robert Hillen, was one of them. He fell on the very first day.

I am so deeply proud of them both, and of all who volunteered.

The Battle of the Somme occupies a special place for the people of Northern Ireland.

On 1 July 1916, men of the 36th (Ulster) Division displayed extraordinary courage and sacrifice. They advanced through devastating gunfire, with thousands killed, wounded or reported missing. The battle was a military tragedy, but it was the bravery of the soldiers that was so notable.

Their bravery remains part of the fabric of our history and of our identity.

But remembrance must always be broader than numbers or military history.

It is about people. Young men from all over Northern Ireland; shipyard workers and farmers, clerks and labourers, brothers, sons, husbands and friends. They came from different backgrounds, different churches and different political traditions, yet they shared the same hardships and faced the same dangers.

The cemeteries and memorials of the Somme are places of profound reflection. As I walk upon the rows of white headstones I am reminded of the terrible cost of war and of lives cut tragically short.

Each headstone speaks of courage and duty, but also of grief, loss and the enduring pain carried by generations of families.

As I stand there, I think of my own ancestors and of all those from home whose lives were changed forever by the events of 1916. I will remember those who never returned, those who came home bearing physical and emotional scars, and the families who carried their memory through the decades.

Our duty today is not only to remember the dead, but to honour the values their sacrifice calls us to uphold: service, courage, gratitude and a renewed commitment to peace.

They were the sons of Ulster. A whole generation. They were also much loved brothers, fathers, sons and husbands. The loss was profound. The blood of these young men will forever lie in the fields of France. Their memory will forever be with those left at home.

The fields of the Somme are silent now. The guns have long since fallen quiet. Yet the echoes remain, and shall be remembered forever.

Emma Little-Pengelly, deputy first minister of Northern Ireland and DUP MLA for Lagan Valley