FRAIL veterans of the Somme, some in wheelchairs, others leaning heavily on walking sticks, missed the beginning of the ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of the battle because of action by French police yesterday.
A coach carrying half of the old soldiers who survived the horrors of the Somme trench warfare was not allowed through to the gates of the imposing Thiepval memorial in Picardy.
The veterans, some of whom are more than 100 years old, were forced to struggle hundreds of yards from the coach park, arriving after the service was well under way.
"The police just would not let us through," said Mr Donald Hodge (101), president of the First World War Veterans Association. "They would not listen. But we are all relieved to be here finally to take part in this great ceremony.
But the Somme heroes, their bodies bent with age but their spirits unbowed, refused to let the incident mar their great day in front of a 3,000 strong crowd.
The Northern Ireland Secretary Sir Patrick Mayhew, whose father fought at the Somme, said: "I feel very humbled to be beside people who served in that campaign. I feel enormously enriched that they are here at this ceremony today. I feel a great sense of reverence.
Thousands of men from Northern Ireland made the supreme sacrifice in the 4 1/2 months of grim fighting on the Somme.
Sir Patrick said: "As Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, as somebody who served in a regiment that fought on the Somme and as the son of someone who fought here, I feel quite comfortable representing my country and the government on this occasion.
As the veterans formed a guard of honour up to the memorial, their minds were concentrated on the events of 80 years ago and their comrades who did not return. "I have so many friends who lie here," Mr Hodge said.
"I am only thankful to be here and in one piece. I always think it was an awful waste of human life No one wins in war. My emotions are very mixed, thanksgiving and regret. This is a pilgrimage we must continue to do for as long as we survive."