The son of a soldier who lost the majority of his eyesight in the Battle of the Somme will be presenting a wreath at Millport War Memorial on Friday 1 July, on its 100th anniversary of the first day of one of the biggest battles in history.

Andy Bryan, 82, will lay a wreath at 11am, and is asking for any family members who have relatives including fathers, or grandfathers, to join him in the tribute.

Andy said: "I have a special interest as my father, also called Andy, fought in the Battle of the Somme, and he was blinded by mustard gas. His vision returned a few days later, but he lost his eyesight to a considerable extent - 90%.

"He was a signaller in the Royal Engineers - the Royal Engineers and Signal Core. My father was unable to enjoy simple pleasures such as play bowls, or go to the cinema, because of his poor eyesight.

"The thing about the war was that that particular date - 1 July - was the worst day that the British Army ever suffered - we lost 62,000 men in the battle, and of that, approximately 19,000 were killed in one day."

"It was an unbelievable slaughter of men on both sides."

Andy is a former chairman of the Royal British Legion Scotland for Glasgow and Western counties area, and said that anyone who wants to join him on the anniversary day is welcome.