A POIGNANT avenue of crosses will be the focus of Remembrance commemorations at Copythorne.

As a special tribute to the parish’s fallen in two worldwide conflicts there will be 100 crosses, each bearing a picture, planted alongside the path and drive leading up to the front door of St Mary’s Church.

The display also commemorates 100 years since the start of the Great War.

Copythorne Parish History Society is behind the Avenue of Remembrance Society secretary Clare Mills said: “We did the Copythorne Book of Remembrance in March and we thought it would be a shame to put all the pictures away because no one would see them again, so we decided to have an Avenue of Remembrance. Each cross will have a photo on it – some of soldiers and others with grave items related to the person. All the men featured were born or had strong family connections with the parish.”

Mrs Mills said that a display will also be staged inside St Mary’s Church telling the story of the impact the Great War had on the parish.

“It took about six years work to research into people’s backgrounds. We went through church records, school logbooks, New Forest churches magazines of the time, old newspapers and documents at the Hampshire Record Office in Winchester,” said Mrs Mills who carried out the research with fellow history society members Julie Munden, Margaret Fenwick and Ann Wingham.

The public will be able to see the avenue and the exhibition between Saturday 8 and Tuesday, November 11 from 10am to 3pm each day except Sunday, November 9, when it will be on display from around 11.30am following the Remembrance Day service.