VIDEO: Re-dedication of a WWI memorial

The seven foot high marble crucifix in Haywards Heath’s Western Road Cemetery is believed to be one of the first memorials to be erected in the UK after the guns fell silent in 1918.

But over the years weeds forced their way through the cracks in the plinth and the poignant reminder of so much heartache and sacrifice was in danger of collapsing.

Daniel, who chairs the Haywards Heath branch of the Royal British Legion, enlisted the support of former soldier and trustee of the War Graves Commission, Nicholas Soames, and with local authority support and a generous donation from an anonymous benefactor, the memorial was restored.

The memorial was re-dedicated at a ceremony earlier this month. The service was conducted by Father Jakabus from St Paul’s Roman Catholic Church because the memorial was erected in the Roman Catholic part of the cemetery.