My Grandfather was killed on the 17th June 1916, two weeks before the start of the Battle of the Somme. He was a tunneler (having been a miner before the war) and was laying explosives underground in preparation for the battle. There was an explosion. He never came home. His brother died two months later during the actual battle.
My Grandfather was at Ypres - he was gassed but survived & never really spoke about it - they were from a stoical age. Sorry I have not been commenting much but I have been viewing