THE role the people of Romsey played in the Great War is to go global.

The move comes after Amy Goodman’s £85,000 bronze resin statue dedicated to horses and soldiers killed in the First World War was unveiled by the Princess Royal in the war memorial park in July.

Now church historian Sarah Stewart is building on the success of the Romsey war horse with an interactive archive on the internet of how the town did its bit for Britain in the worldwide conflict.

Her project has the backing of heritage lottery chiefs who have given her £9,000 to compile a reference library on the internet making it possible for with everyone with a computer to learn more about the Great War and how it affected the area.

For 25-year-old Sarah it is a dream come true to record Romsey’s connections with the Great War and particularly the Abbey United Reformed Church,’s where she has been a member of the since she was a child.

Sarah is launching her project – aimed at marking last year’s centenary of the First World War – tonight (Friday October 23) from 5-7pm at the Abbey United Reformed Church.

People will be able to find out more tomorrow at the same venue (Saturday October 24) between 10am and noon.

She said her project will focus on Romsey and the Congregational Church during the First World War and a roll of honour listing 277 men.

Sarah, who is stock control analyst at B&Q in Chandler’s Ford said that when she returned to Romsey in 2013 after spending seven years at Plymouth University, she was asked to help with a research project at the Abbey United Reformed Church.

“This began the start of discovering the incredible stories that are hidden from this period from our town. We feel that this project is incredibly important to the town.

"There are a lot of people that are not aware of the important and incredible part that was played by Romsey and in turn the effect the war had on the town. We have seen some of this come through with the War Horse and Remount Camp but there is still a lot more to discover,” said Sarah.

Appealing for the public’s help to build up the bigger picture of Romsey’s role in the the Great War, Sarah added: “The main reason for establishing an online archive is so that families that may have moved away can become involved with the project and to also add to the research being done throughout the country due to the centenary celebrations.

"I am aware that there may be people and families that have moved out of Romsey but still have an interest, I want to ensure that they also have the opportunity to get involved. I am hoping, once we have brought all the information together, to put it into a format that can share with the town that people of the town can share, take away, keep and pass down, preserving the history for future generations.

"The £9,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund is to produce all of the research and to engage with community.

"At the end there will be an exhibition and talks. Unfortunately there will not be a book at the end.”

Sarah said that the project is close to her heart and it had been an incredible journey for her delving into the past.

“ It has been incredible to find out how the town and church that I grew up in played such an important part to the First World War. I will be running the project, compiling all the information and making sure the project is running smoothly with a few volunteers helping in certain areas and I hope more volunteers will join us over the next two years.

I am now trying to reach out to the community inviting them to join myself and the Church. Our hope is that we can get as many individuals and group’s involved, that may be interested in researching and learning more about their town,” concluded Sarah.