A CHURCH recently invited an audience to view the progress of its roll of honour and view its 'lost lives remembered' exhibition.

St Augustine's welcomed mostly those with a particular interest in the exhibition or a connection to the roll of honour.

The event was organised by the Friends of St Augustine's and supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Guest contributors to the event were David Hughes of the Western Front Association, Marcus Payne - the senior librarian at Penarth Library, the Firing Line Museum, Stanwell School History Department, and Cllr Rosemary Cook, Penarth town mayor, who presented 'War horses – a personal memory'. All were happy to share their knowledge and answer questions.

The Project Team has long wondered how much the Roll of Honour cost and how it was funded. Recent research in the Glamorgan Archives finally revealed the estimated cost was £800, equivalent to at least £25,000 today. This was raised by public subscription.

Chris Higley spoke of the craftsmen and women who created the memorial in 1920 and who went on to have distinguished careers.

Although the Roll of Honour is now considered a significant work of art, Chris said that the prime purpose of this memorial must still be to commemorate the dead and to remind us of the cost of conflict.

There is now a lot of information in the public domain about men who died in the First World War. Linda Guilfoyle gave examples of facts she had come across on websites,

In the afternoon the church was open to the public as part of the Penarth Festival. Following a wonderful guitar recital by Jonathan Parkin, visitors were able to view the exhibition 'Lost Lives Remembered'.

The Roll of Honour Project team (Friends of St Augustine's) would like to hear from anyone who has a connection with or recognises a name on the Roll of Honour.