Supreme Sacrifice torrent

The Battle of the Somme, which began 90 years ago on 1 July 1916, was one of the blackest days in the history of the British army - and of the city of Edinburgh, whose citizens were killed or wounded in greater numbers than on any single day since Flodden, more than four centuries earlier.

Among the casualties from the capital were members of the 16th Royal Scots, known as McCrae\'s Battalion, a body also known as the Sporting Battalion because of the number of players and supporters in its ranks. The story of McCrae\'s Battalion has been told in the book of the same name by Jack Alexander. Now, the tale is retold as a TV documentary, Supreme Sacrifice.