A MEMORIAL which has been 99 years in the making has been unveiled at a Petersfield school.

A permanent tribute to the 54 Old Churcherians who died during the First World War has finally been set in stone.

Churcher’s College intended to build a war memorial in 1919 but could only afford a plaque after buying a patch of land.

But the work has now been completed with the Rev Will Hughes dedicating the memorial last Friday in a moving ceremony.

The ceremony was the highlight of a Remembrance service and assembly which was attended by numerous dignitaries.

“Today we’re reminded of our history, but also our debt to those who secured our future,” said headmaster of Churcher’s College Simon Williams at the beginning of the assembly.

“Today, we complete the work that the Old Churcherians started a century ago.”

The assembly included a reading of anti-war poem A Holiday by Sixth Form college student Maddie Macey, whose work appears in a new book called Never Such Innocence.

Tears were also shed during the screening of a short film featuring 92-year-old former student Ken Webb, who recalled with great clarity and emotion his time serving in the Second World War.

The film clearly touched Mr Hughes as the Vicar referred to the video in his Remembrance Sunday service in The Square.

He urged students to never forget the sacrifices made by the Old Churcherians who fell during The Great War, despite the passing of time, as a third were less than 22 years old when they died.

He said: “Today isn’t about the military or the Combined Cadet Force, this week is about all of the freedoms we enjoy and the costs at which they were made.

“It’s so easy to think that it was a long time ago and it was old people who died, but it wasn’t and those who died were young.

“So today, we dedicate a memorial to those who fell in the First World War and afterwards. It’s not a memorial to say ‘look what Churcher’s gave’, it’s for all of you to remember that their lives, their sacrifices, is part of our story.”

The dedication was followed by the sounding of The Last Post with the sun breaking through during the following two-minute silence.

A wreath-laying and procession followed, with every Churcher’s student, teacher, worker and guest passing under the memorial.