War memorial 'reunveiled' 100 years on
BBCA war memorial has been "reunveiled" to celebrate the centenary of its original dedication.
The ceremony was held in Axbridge, Somerset, on Saturday afternoon to mark 100 years of the town's memorial.
It was unveiled by two children, Victor Lintern and Francis Land in 1926, both of whom lost their fathers in World War One. Two children again played a central part in the proceedings, by pulling a union flag from the memorial to unveil it.
Land's daughter Janet Davies and other relatives were among those present for the unveiling and she said she did not know her father had unveiled the monument until a couple of weeks ago.
"We had no background whatsoever, because they just didn't talk about those things in those days," she said.
"We thought it would be a nice occasion to find out what it's all about."
"I had never seen a photo of my dad [as a child], but I recognised him straight away," she added.
Elaine Gilmore attended the unveiling in honour of her great uncle, Archibald Arthur James, who was from Axbridge, and whose name is on the memorial.
She was presented with a photograph of him at the ceremony.
"It's the first time I've ever seen a photo of him," she said.
"It was quite emotional. He was only 22, so it must have been a shock for the family when they got that telegram."
Gilmore added that the photograph and seeing the unveiling had brought remembrance to life.
"You relate to it far more, don't you, and it means something, so it was really good to come here today and imagine what was going on 100 years ago," she said.
"It was really good to be here."
The memorial, a 12ft 6in Celtic cross, was commissioned for £150 in 1926 at the order of the local parish council.
Situated near the top of The Church Steps in The Square, it now commemorates the names of soldiers from the town who fell in World War One and Two.
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