Marking the centenary of the Battle of the Somme, more than 250 people gathered at Bevis Marks Synagogue in the City for a ceremony honouring the thousands of British Jews who served their country in the First World War.

There were contributions from rabbis, military representatives and current Jewish servicemen. The names of the 34 British Jews killed on the first day of the Somme offensive were read out.

The ceremony was preceded by the launch of The Jews of London - We Were There Too, a Heritage Lottery-funded project to record the contribution of London Jewry to the First World War effort on an interactive website, www.jewsfww.london.

Project director Alan Fell said: "Never has it been more timely to remind ourselves and others that the Jewish community has contributed to the fabric of British society for a very long time and continues to do so."