A DEDICATION service was held at a Forest Church for a memorial to a soldier killed in the First World War.

The memorial to Second Lieutenant William Penwarden is now mounted in Longhope Church after being moved from May Hill Methodist Church after it closed in 2019.

Lt Penwarden, of the 4th Battlion the Royal Fusiliers, was killed at the end of August 1918, aged 23.

His devout Methodist parents, who ran the shop in Longhope, placed the marble memorial at May Hill.

Dorothy, his wife of nearly six months, put a stone outside the Methodist Church.

Rev Lara Bloom, of Forest Edge benefice led the service at All Saints in Longhope.

Three members of Lt Penwarden’s family joined villagers and members of the Royal British Legion for the dedication.

A poppy wreath, bearing a picture of Lt Penwarden was placed beneath the memorial during the service by Mr Rob Greaves, the chairman of the Longhope branch of the Royal British Legion.

Jo Phelps, who has written a book about the lives of the men on Longhope’s war memorials, spoke about Lt Penwarden’s life.

He was born on July 8 1895, the younger of the two sons of William Penwarden and Fanny Hart and educated at Wycliffe School which he left in 1910.

Mrs Phelps said: “His love was of the countryside and farming and after school he was articled to Mr H Price of Hartleton Farm near Ross, a prize wheat grower.

“He felt the call of duty, however, and in October 1915 enlisted for the 3rd Royal Gloucestershire Hussars, arriving in France in September 1916, eventually returning to England and being commissioned as an officer in the 4th Battalion Royal Fusiliers in February 1918.”

“He returned to France on August 21 and was killed in action 10 days later.

The Dean Forest Mercury reported he was killed “gallantly leading his platoon in the face of heavy machine gun fire’’.

He was buried in H.A.C. Cemetery, Ecoust St Mein near Arras in northern France.

He is remembered on Longhope War Memorial, on the Rolls of Honour in All Saints Church and at Wycliffe College, on the memorial to the Gloucester Hussars at College Green, outside Gloucester Cathedral and on his grave in France.