A lasting memorial to the fallen from the First World War was launched in a Suffolk town at the weekend on the 100th anniversary since the town council acquired the land for the memorial. 

Saxmundham Town Council hosted a special rededication ceremony for the town’s Memorial Field to coincide with Remembrance Day events that are due to take place this week. 

There were 50 attendees at the service on Saturday, including families of soldiers who served in WW1, councillors and members of the public. 

This year, there has been a large investment in the Memorial Field, including a new Memorial Garden designed by garden designer Frederic Whyte.

East Anglian Daily Times: The new memorial gates at SaxmundhamThe new memorial gates at Saxmundham (Image: Jess Palmer)

The planting scheme includes year-round colour and several trees which are available for sponsorship in memory of lost loved ones.  

Decorative bespoke gates have been commissioned from a local craftsman to welcome visitors into the new space, while there is also a new information board, a memorial plinth and benches set into the garden to allow quiet reflection. 

The town council’s chair Di Eastman said 100 years ago the town had planned to install the memorial gates but had run out of money.

East Anglian Daily Times: The memorial plinth at Saxmundham Memorial GardenThe memorial plinth at Saxmundham Memorial Garden (Image: Jess Palmer)She said: “The ceremony went very well. It was not a very long event.” 

The decision to dedicate a field, rather than a plinth or statue, to commemorate the fallen was taken by the town’s residents as a tangible memorial that benefited the living.

The field is used every day by families, dog walkers, and nature lovers and even boasts a skatepark for local children.

East Anglian Daily Times: Air cadets were also involved in the dedication ceremonyAir cadets were also involved in the dedication ceremony (Image: Jess Palmer)

The rededication ceremony was conducted by Rev David Preece, priest in charge of the benefice of Saxmundham with Kelsale-cum-Carlton and featured buglers playing the Last Post, along with music from The Royal British Legion Band and air cadets.  

A memorial trail has also been created aiming to bring to life the stories of the soldiers who lived in the town. 

The trail was researched and designed by residents, with pupils at Saxmundham Primary School creating markers detailing where the troops are commemorated and, in some cases, buried in the town’s Commonwealth War Graves.