HORNINGSHAM Parish Council are appealing to the public to help locate the families of the 25 men whose names are engraved on the village’s war memorial, to help mark the 100th anniversary of the First World War this November.

On November 11 the parish council are hosting a remembrance service at the memorial, and want to tell the story of each of the men named.

Chairman Tim Hill said: “We are hosting a reception at the village hall, on Warminster Road, and attempting to locate family members of the 25 fallen soldiers to commemorate the Great War.We would really like as many relatives of the men on our memorial as possible to join us on that day to remember their ancestor’s sacrifice.”

The memorial was built in 1920 after the 5th Marquess of Bath, who lost his own eldest sons in the conflict, gave land for it.

Mr Hill added: “Viscount Weymouth will be joining us to remember two of his family members.

“One of them was the heir to Longleat and had he not died then Henry Thynne would not have become the 6th Marquess of Bath and Longleat would not have had its lions.”

However, over the years since the memorial was built the site had become rather overgrown. In 2014 the council decided to make the memorial the focus of their activity during the four years of commemoration.

Mr Hill said: “The council contacted the Longleat estate about the overgrown area. We decide to clear this space and appreciate the memorial.

“Cllr Matt Simpson put forward the idea of planting an orchard.

“The idea developed into having an apple tree for each man on the memorial and the that the varieties should be heritage ones that were common in the village at the time the men died.”

Cllr Matt Simpson said: “We hope to find family members of the fallen soldiers to mark this special occasion.”

The men named on the memorial are: Lord Alexander Thynne, Lt Viscount Weymouth, John Bothwell, James Carpenter, John Carpenter, Jesse Carrier, Percy Carter, Ernest Chapman, Dennis Curtis, Frederick Curtis, Henry Curtis, Wilfred Duff, Charles Froude, Ernest Garrett, William Houlton, Edwin Lewer, John Lewer, Henry Marsh, Walter Miller, Reginald Moore, Russell Prowse, Sidney Tancock, Wyndham Trollope, Sidney Wheeler, Charles Wyman.

Any relatives who wish to get involved are asked to contact Mr Hill on tim.hill365@gmail.com.