A 100-year-old football ‘kicked over the top’ at the beginning of the Battle of the Somme is to go on display in Manchester.

A series of events were held on Friday to mark the centenary of the bloody First World War battle which cost the lives of nearly 60,000 British soldiers on the first day alone.

Just after 7:30am on the morning the battle began in 1916, British Army Capt. William P. Nevill kicked a football into No Man’s Land before he and his comrades ‘went over the top’ and advanced towards the German lines.

Nevill, a commander with the 8th East Surrey Regiment, was sadly killed shortly after leaving the trench.

British soldiers go "over the top" from a trench in France World War One 1916 Battle of the Somme

However the ball survived and is the only one used by soldiers during the battle still in existence with the other being lost in a fire last year.

It has been displayed at the National Football Museum in the Urbis building before as part of its acclaimed Greater Game exhibition, which explored how football and footballers responded during the war effort.

It is owned by the Princess of Wales’ Royal Regiment, and is usually on display at Dover Castle.

But they have again loaned it to the museum with it being put on display for four days beginning on Tuesday and ending on Friday, July 8.

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Dr Kevin Moore, director of the National Football Museum , said: “As we commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme, it’s significant to reflect on how football played its part in the war.

“The ball was used by Captain W. P. Nevill as a means of galvanising and reassuring his troops in the most extreme of circumstances, and is a unique symbol of that tragic time.

“It’s an honour to display the ball at the National Football Museum, and we hope people find the time to come and see it before it returns to Dover.”