Armistice 100: Remembering the soldiers buried in a South Shields cemetery

The headstones of 33 men, in St Peter’s churchyard, have been marked with a knitted poppy in tribute to the sacrifices they made.

They were placed by the 54th St Peter’s Brownies and guides who located each one in the grounds.

Details of each soldier who died has also been researched in the run up to Armistice Day on Sunday.

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The church, in Sunderland Road, South Shields, has recently received a new CWGC plaque stating the presence of the war graves as part of events to mark the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War.

On Sunday, the church will hold its remembrance service where Rev Kate Boardman, who is the coordinator for the Diocese of Durham’s partnership with the North German Evangelical Church, will be joined by her German counterpart Pastor Christa Hunzinger to for a Eucharist for Peace before the Act of Remembrance in St Peter’s Churchyard at 9.45am and 11am.

They will jointly lay a wreath of poppies and forgetmenots - the German symbol.

Rev Boardman said: “In church there will be an installation at the altar incorporating one hundred poppies, first world bayonets and original artefacts including a newspaper announcing the armistice.”

The service will be followed in the afternoon with ‘Voice of Lament and Hope’ at St Mark and St Cuthbert Church in Cleadon Park at 4pm, which has been jointly written by Revd Dr Andrew Dowsett of Sunderland Minster and pastor colleagues from Hamburg.

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Rev Boardman added: “It will feature bilingual readings and prayers reflecting memories, stories and letters of the large German community in South Shields and Sunderland at the time of WWI. All are welcome to attend, especially the descendants of those families and today’s German community.”