The lives of former servicemen and women from Trowbridge who died while fighting for their country during armed conflicts have been commemorated.

The Friends of the Down Cemetery have laid 146 poppy crosses on the graves of former military servicemen who fought in two world wars and other conflicts.

The graves of servicemen who fought in the First and Second World Wars and previous conflicts were identified by the Friends following extensive research.

They include former Royal Artillery gunners Richard Murray, 26, and Sidney Harrild,19, who died at Trowbridge Barracks in 1909 while preparing shells for re-use.

The Friends of the Down Cemetery chair Robert Wall is joined by Trowbridge Mayor Cllr Stephen Cooper and cadets at the renovated war graves of Trowbridge servicemen.The Friends of the Down Cemetery chair Robert Wall is joined by Trowbridge Mayor Cllr Stephen Cooper and cadets at the renovated war graves of Trowbridge servicemen. (Image: Trevor Porter)

The Friends of the Down Cemetery chair Robert Wall said: “Originally, a gentleman from the Royal British Legion used to do the war graves in The Down Cemetery.

“We said as the Friends of the Down Cemetery, we could assist him doing it as long as we could add to it all the graves of the fallen that are also mentioned on the gravestones.

“Some of the gravestones say ‘to our son, who lost his life in France’. He is not buried there but is memorialised there so we carry those as well.”

Trowbridge mayor Cllr Stephen Cooper, assisted the Friends members and Trowbridge cadets from the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy to lay poppy crosses on the graves.

The Friends of the Down Cemetery chair Robert Wall lays a poppy cross with Trowbridge Mayor Cllr Stephen Cooper at the recently renovated graves of Royal Horse Artillery gunners Richard Murray and Sidney Harrild who died at Trowbridge Barracks in 1909 while preparing shells for re-use. The Friends of the Down Cemetery chair Robert Wall lays a poppy cross with Trowbridge Mayor Cllr Stephen Cooper at the recently renovated graves of Royal Horse Artillery gunners Richard Murray and Sidney Harrild who died at Trowbridge Barracks in 1909 while preparing shells for re-use. (Image: Trevor Porter)

The ceremony has become a traditional event in the run-up to Remembrance Sunday and has been taking place for the past five years.

Mr Wall added: “The number is increasing every year as we do more research and find more people.

“We hope to put a wreath next year in the pauper’s graves area with their names on it as some who served in the armed forces are buried there.”

To help identify the graves, Friends members placed small markers on the graves to help the cadets to locate them.

To commemorate those who died, members of the Trowbridge Women’s Shed have this year knitted poppies to drape along the front wall of The Down Cemetery.