To mark the 100th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme News Shopper are gathering photos and stories of brave soldiers from our area who fought in the battle.

100 years ago to this day (July 1) the largest and bloodiest battle of the First World War began.

It lasted four months and more than 350,000 British soldiers lost their lives.

If you have ancestors who fought in the Somme, send their photos and stories to jessica.clark@london.newsquest.co.uk to be included in our gallery.