Living Memory: Commemorating the Battle of the Somme at Netley Military Cemetery

Our project was part of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission's national initiative to commemorate the centenary of the Battle of the Somme, which linked to our Heritage Lottery Funded 'Bringing Alive Netley Military Hospital' project. We worked with a group of Year 11 students from a local secondary school, Wildern School at Hedge End, Southampton, who researched 18 of the burials in the Netley Military Cemetery dating to the battle. They researched the life stories of the individuals they chose and discovered their connection to the battle, returning those men to 'living memory'. The students presented their research at a commemoration event on 18th November 2016, which was followed by a short memorial service at the Netley Military Cemetery. The students' work is now available to view on our website as well as on interactive touchscreen devices in the Royal Victoria Chapel exhibitions.