WW1 Remembrance Centre

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WW1 Remembrance Centre Free entry and free car parking. dog friendly. .
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Osmond Ingram, who died a hero's death on October 15, 1917, was the first American sailor to be killed in He was serv...
15/10/2026

Osmond Ingram, who died a hero's death on October 15, 1917, was the first American sailor to be killed in

He was serving on USS Cassin when he spotted a torpedo coming straight at the destroyer.

Realising it would detonate near to the ship's depth charges, he sacrificed his life in an heroic attempt to stop a huge explosion.

The citation for his posthumous Medal of Honor read: 'For extraordinary heroism in the presence of the enemy on the occasion of the torpedoing of the Cassin, on 15 October 1917.

'While the Cassin was searching for the submarine, Ingram sighted the torpedo coming, and realizing that it might strike the ship aft in the vicinity of the depth charges, ran aft with the intention of releasing the depth charges before the torpedo could reach the Cassin.

'The torpedo struck the ship before he could accomplish his purpose and Ingram was killed by the explosion. The depth charges exploded immediately afterward.

'His life was sacrificed in an attempt to save the ship and his shipmates, as the damage to the ship would have been much less if he had been able to release the depth charges.'

USS Cassin's rudder was destroyed and her stern badly damaged in the U-boat attack but thankfully the rest of her crew survived.

Gunner's Mate 1st Class Osmond Kelly Ingram
August 4, 1887 – October 15, 1917

Always remembered

Theodore Hardy was a quiet, unassuming priest who enlisted as an Army chaplain at the start of - and became one of the...
12/10/2026

Theodore Hardy was a quiet, unassuming priest who enlisted as an Army chaplain at the start of - and became one of the most decorated non-combatants of the conflict.

When told he had been nominated for the Victoria Cross, his typically self-effacing response was: 'I really must protest.'

Recently widowed and 51 years old when war broke out, he was turned down several times on the grounds of his age before finally persuading the Army Chaplains Department - depleted by the deaths of many of its members - to let him serve his country.

Theodore lived with the frontline troops, supporting them at night in the trenches, whilst conducting his chaplaincy duties by day. He often went without sleep - during the Battle of Arras in 1917, he often ministered for 36 hours continuously.

In October 1917, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order for conspicuous gallantry while rescuing wounded men from no-man's land throughout the night, despite himself suffering a broken wrist.

Two months later he earned the Military Cross for repeatedly going out under heavy fire to help stretcher bearers during an attack.

And in the spring of 1918, as the Lincolns, the regiment to which he was attached, fought at the Somme, his valour over several nights - including the rescue of a wounded man whilst under intense enemy fire - led to the award of the Victoria Cross.

Hoping to remove Hardy from further danger, King George V himself suggested that he return home and become his chaplain. But, determined to stay with his men, Theodore declined the offer.

He died on October 18, 1918, eight days after he was hit by machine gun fire, as the Lincolns were crossing the river Selle by night.

The first soldiers to reach him told how he quietly greeted them with the words: 'I’ve been hit. I’m sorry to be a nuisance.'

Chaplain Theodore Bayley Hardy, VC, DSO, MC, KHC
October 20, 1863 – October 18, 1918

Always remembered

At the start of French soldiers went into battle wearing the traditional brightly-coloured uniforms of the 19th centur...
11/10/2026

At the start of French soldiers went into battle wearing the traditional brightly-coloured uniforms of the 19th century, such as red trousers and blue coats for the cavalry and infantry.

Cuirassiers - mounted cavalrymen - wore resplendent plumed helmets and breastplates that hailed from the Napoleonic period.

After a few battlefield disasters, uniforms were quickly changed to outfits far more drab - and far less conspicuous.

Wilbur E. Colyer was born on March 5, 1898, in Brooklyn, New York, and after enlisting in the US Army in 1917, was sent...
09/10/2026

Wilbur E. Colyer was born on March 5, 1898, in Brooklyn, New York, and after enlisting in the US Army in 1917, was sent to France to fight in

On October 9 the following year, his courage in combat near Verdun earned him his country's highest military award, the Medal of Honor.

The citation read: 'Volunteering with two other soldiers to locate machine gun nests, Sgt. Colyer advanced on the hostile positions to a point where he was half surrounded by the nests, which were in ambush.

'He killed the gunner of one gun with a captured German gr***de and then turned this gun on the other nests, silencing all of them before he returned to his platoon.'

But the brave young New Yorker did not live to receive his award. He was killed in action the very next day.

Sgt. Wilbur E. Colyer
March 5, 1898 – October 10, 1918

Always remembered

More than 260 Members of Parliament enlisted in the armed forces during A memorial in Westminister Hall commemorates t...
08/10/2026

More than 260 Members of Parliament enlisted in the armed forces during

A memorial in Westminister Hall commemorates the 23 MPs who were killed, or died as a result of their participation, along with 20 members of the House of Lords, three former MPs, nine senior members of parliamentary staff and 94 sons of members and officers of the House of Commons First World War.

The Parliamentary war memorial is also known as the Recording Angel Memorial.

In religious beliefs, the recording angel documents every human''s deeds, thoughts, words, and prayers for final judgment.

The Royal British Legion's annual poppy appeal will be launched later this month.Each year, the wearing of poppies for R...
07/10/2026

The Royal British Legion's annual poppy appeal will be launched later this month.

Each year, the wearing of poppies for Remembrance brings to mind the poignant words of Canadian poet Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae.

'In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie,

In Flanders fields.'

Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae
(November 30, 1872 – January 28, 1918)

Always remembered

Christopher Bushell was a 29 year old temporary lieutenant colonel in the 7th (S) Battalion of The Queen's Royal West Su...
06/10/2026

Christopher Bushell was a 29 year old temporary lieutenant colonel in the 7th (S) Battalion of The Queen's Royal West Surrey Regiment when he was awarded the Victoria Cross in the last year of

On 23 March 1918 north of Tergnier in France, he led C Company of his battalion, which was involved in an Allied counterattack.

As the fighting continued, Christopher was severely wounded in the head, but continued to walk in front of both British and Allied troops, encouraging them on and visiting every portion of the lines in the face of terrific machine-gun and r***e fire.

He refused to go to the rear until he had to be removed to the dressing station in a fainting condition.

Five months later, the gallant officer was killed in action to the south of Morlancourt, Somme, France,.

In 1923, the Christopher Bushell Prize of books, for Modern History undergraduates, was established at Corpus Christi College, Oxford, where he had read Modern History from 1906 to 1909.

Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Bushell VC DSO
October 31, 1888 – August 8, 1918

Always remembered

Today 112 years ago, saw the first air-to-air combat victory in military history.On October 5, 1914, French Sergeant ...
05/10/2026

Today 112 years ago, saw the first air-to-air combat victory in military history.

On October 5, 1914, French Sergeant Joseph Frantz and Corporal Louis Quénault (pictured), flying a Voisin III biplane, engaged a German Aviatik aircraft near Reims, France.

After machine-gun and r***e fire, the German plane crashed, killing both crew members and changing aerial warfare forever.

Tickets are currently sold in person at the WW1 Remembrance Centre
04/10/2026

Tickets are currently sold in person at the WW1 Remembrance Centre

One of the most remote Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemeteries in the world is located in the arid Namib desert i...
04/10/2026

One of the most remote Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemeteries in the world is located in the arid Namib desert in southwestern Africa.

Trekkopje Cemetery is the last resting place of 16 men, South African and German, who were killed in April 1915 in a skirmish at a railway station that stood next to the spot.

Picture: Commonwealth War Graves Commission

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PO35PJ

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Wednesday 11am - 2pm
Thursday 11am - 2pm

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