The effects of the First World War on the community of Romsey was the subject of a presentation given by Romsey School pupils the town’s Local History Society.

Led by Daniel Lea, Head of History, the students are researching sources including contemporary photographs, music and newspaper accounts to cover the period from 1914 -1918. This entails researching the lives of those listed on Romsey’s War Memorial. In all 151 names are recorded with ages at death ranging from 16 to 45.

Romsey men fought in every major battle. Most of those listed died in France or Belgium during the last two years of the war with the highest mortality in any one year being 37 in 1918.

The pupils gave details of many individuals. They came from all levels of the Romsey community – farmers, brewery workers, shopkeepers, craftsmen and included members of the Ashley family at Broadlands.

Thomas Moody of Church Street was wounded on the Somme and did not live long enough to get to the dressing station.

Some, like Albert Pritchard of Ashfield have no known grave. At the time there were several Harding families in the town and six young men with that surname are included on the memorial.

Photographs collected by the group show conditions in the trenches and also events in the town. These include public meetings in the Market Place and horses being led from the station to the Remount Camp at the top of Pauncefort Hill where they were trained for their work at the front.

The account given by the pupils was of work in progress. The ambitious two-year project will result in a documentary film which will include all of the research elements and will give a unique portrayal of Romsey during the Great War.