THIS year’s Remembrance Day will be marked by a special exhibition in Newton Abbot.

Bridie Snelling is staging the exhibition at Newton’s Place in Wolborough Street which will share stories and display memorabilia of soldiers from Newton Abbot who died in the First World War.

As well as old photographs and documents, many items will relate directly to Newton Abbot’s role in the Great War.

Exhibits will show how Seale-Hayne Hospital helped servicemen suffering sfrom shell shock, and a Role of Honour on loan from the Devon and Dorsets Regemental museum – The Keep – will list every man who died in the War.

One unusual exhibit will be some sphagnum moss. Due to its beneficial properties it was collected by the women if Devon and used to dress wounds. A shell case given in recognition of their efforts will also be on show.

Bridie, who volunteers at the town museum, has visited the Somme battlefieldsand the Commonwelalth war graves which she described as very moving.

She explained: ‘I hope at in Remembrance Week, visitors will come and look, and reflect on their sacrifice.

‘I met a man who told me about a Facebook group – Forgotten Soldiers of Devon.

‘That got me thinking how distant in time the war has become and there was a danger of people beginning to forget.

Some people may still venture to ponder why we bother remembering a war from so long ago, but if you could count the 1914-1918 names on all Devon’s war memorials you’d find more than 11,600 very good reasons.

‘The exhibiton will tell the stories of some of those names – twins, brothers, and one young man who left a children’s home to go and fight and who died aged 18.

‘There will be a large story board about the Vicary family , who had lived in the Newton Abbot area for many generations running leather tanning and fellmongering mills in Bradley Lane. As for so many other families the onset of the First World War affected the life of the Vicary family.

‘Brothers Gilbert, Walter, Alexander and John all served in the War, Gilbert did not return to Dyrons House as he was killed in action in 1917.

‘We will remember them – an exhibition of forgotten soldiers of WWI’ will be open in the Rowell Room for the week November 9-13, and entrance is free.