THOSE who died in both the First and Second World Wars have been commemorated with a special poppy memorial at Lye and Wollescote Cemetery.

The cemetery’s friends group have been working together with the area’s Royal British Legion branch to mark each of the graves of a fallen lost son with a poppy cross symbol.

About 43 people buried in the cemetery who died in the wars were commemorated by the group, with nine members also taking part in a history walk around the graveyard, led by the knowledge of local author and group member Jean Weston.

Sue Smith, the Friends of Lye and Wollescote Cemetery group secretary, said: “A couple of our members are involved in the Royal British Legion who arranged to provide the poppy crosses which we were able to place next to the graves of our local fallen heroes.

“It is so very interesting to find out the history of those who lost their lives fighting for our county in both the First and Second World Wars.

“We hope to make our memorial commemoration and walk an annual event, and we would also love for more people in the community to join the group on our regular walks around the cemetery.”

Formed more than a year ago following the refurbishment of the Thomas Robinson Building, formally known as the Lye and Wollescote Chapels, the friends’ group aim to provide an accessible place which celebrates the heritage of local people and the cemetery.

Now 12-strong, the friends attend regular meetings and also take part in a tidy up of the cemetery.

Mrs Smith added: “We have made tremendous headway in the past year, especially with the lovely new bench which has been installed in the cemetery.

“But our future aim is to place section markers and create a map of the cemetery, this way enabling visitors to easily trace the graves of relatives buried here.”

For more information about the group search The Friends of Lye and Wollescote Cemetery on Facebook.