THE lives of 32 men from Bromyard and the surrounding villages who died at Battle of Passchendaele will be remembered in the town.

The Bromyard Royal British Legion is holding a ceremony of remembrance 100 years on from the First World War battle which lasted from July 31 to November 6 in 1917 in Belgium.

An estimated 245,000 Allied and 215,000 German casualties (dead, wounded or missing) fell after approximately 100 days of heavy fighting for a movement of the front line of only 8 km.

As part of the remembrance ceremony on August 5, the RBL branch is holding an exhibition about those men who lost their lives in the battle from Bromyard, but also about those who survived.

The names, photographs and stories collected will be put on display in the Public Hall for a special Passchendaele tea.

Major (Retd) Jan Brodie-Murphy said: "My sister, Jane Delahay, on behalf of the RBL, has researched the Herefordshire list of those who fell at Passchendaele and she has identified 32 men from Bromyard and surrounding parishes that lost their lives there.

"For each man who fell we have created a profile sheet and these will be put up on display in the Public Hall."

She added: "We are sure that there are more than 32 and at the remembrance service, when the Bromyard cadets lay a wooden cross for each man who fell, we will lay one more cross, number 33, to just remember a `local lad` whom we may not have identified yet."

The names of the soldiers are: William Amos, Edwin Whitmore Bishop, William Charles Boucher, James Bowstead, Leonard Arthur Calder, Charles Ernest Cheshire, Harry Douch, Eckley Oxtoby Etheredge, Richard Christopher Farrington, Thomas Garness, Alfred Green, Henry Stephen Hancock, Ernest Hardwick, Gerard Leader Hill, Wilfred Hodges, Francis George King, Alfred James Leek, George Henry Mitchell, Michael Ockey, William Fletcher Portsmore, Albert James Powell, George Robert Preece, John Arthur Pugh, William Rose, Thomas Henry Scott, Vernon Horace Smallman, Albert Thomas Sprague, Thomas Stephens, Alfred Taylor, Frank Edward Thomas, Enoch Tonks, and George Herbert Ward.

Do you recognise any of these names- do you have any photos of these men? Contact Jan Brodie Murphy on janetbrodiemurphy@gmail.com or call 01885 482912.

The march is from the Market Square at 2.45 pm on August 5 to the green outside the Public Hall, followed by the remembrance service.

Tickets for the tea are £10 each and can be bought from any legion members.