Trees planted in Great Ryburgh to remember two young soldiers, Remembrance parades through Fakenham, Dereham, Swanton Morley and Wells

Pauline Smith planted an apple tree in memory of her great-uncle Pte Harold Comer. Picture: Ian Burt (Image: Archant)

Trees were planted in the community woodland, at Great Ryburgh, in memory of Pte Harold Comer and rifleman Guy Burtenshaw.

Pte Comer, 27, who served in the Essex Regiment, lost his life alongside 850 others when the troopship carrying them to Gallipoli was sunk on August 19, 1915.

Rifleman Guy Burtenshaw, 26, was serving in the trenches at Ypres with the London Regiment, when it came under heavy shelling on June 15, 1915. he died of his wounds two days later.

Their stories have been researched by Ryburgh Remembers, which commemorates villagers who lost their lives in the 1914 - 18 conflict.

The Queen's Light Dragoons marched from Robertson Barracks at Swanton Morley, to the village church for a memorial service. (Image: Archant)

Historian Steve Bushby said: 'They weren't just names on the war memorial, they had aspirations, they had wives and children, they had parents.'

North Norfolk District Council leader Tom Fitzpatrick, who planted a hornbeam tree in honour of rifleman Burtenshaw, said: 'At the moment I think everyone's very aware of the First World War and the number of people killed.

'My grandmother lost all three of her brothers. There were whole families wiped out, it was a really terrible time.'

Pauline Smith, Pte Comer's great-niece, who lives in Dereham, planted an apple tree to remember him.

'Harold was my great-uncle, who I never met,' she said. 'It's really good, it's something that's really worthwhile, that's going to live on.'

Both men were rembered with a peal of bells at Ryburgh's Church of St Andrew.

Crowds lined the streets of Dereham, where veterans, forces personnel and cadets marched to the war memorial.

After a service at the town church, where was a buffet lunch in the Meeting Point.

Breckland council chairman Gordon Bambridge said: 'It was an honour to lay the Breckland Wreath at Dereham War memorial alongside 20 plus other groups from around the area. There was an impressive parade of military, cadets, British Legion and local councillors with a crown lining the streets of many hundreds perhaps thousands.'

At Swanton Morley, the Queen's Dragoon Guards, marched from Robertson Barracks, to All Saints Church for their first remembrance service since arriving in Norfolk earlier this year.

Wreaths were laid by the The Women's Institute, Parish Council and the Commanding Officer at the War Memorial after the service.

Around 120 members of the Regiment are currently deployed in Kenya on a training exercise, where they held their own field service.

At Fakenham, veterans marched through the town centre before wreaths were laid at the war memorial in the Market Place, before a service at the Parish Church.

At Wells, there was a wreath laying followed by a parade through the town and church service.