OFFICERS, soldiers and veterans of the Royal Artillery honoured their fallen First World War comrades by reading their names from the Armistice Roll of Honour at Salisbury Cathedral on Friday.

After a short service from Padre Tim Hiney from 19 Regiment and the Last Post sounded by a trumpeter from the Royal Artillery Band the Master Gunner at St James, Lieutenant General Sir Andrew Gregory and 15 members of the Regimental family began reading the names of the 49,076 members of the regiment who gave their lives during the Great War.

This was followed later in the day by more names being read at Larkhill Garrison Church and the readings will continue across the world at locations including Oman, Falklands, Germany, Kenya, Canada and also at Woolwich and Wellington Arch in London.

The final names of those killed on November 11, 1918 will be read out at the Royal Artillery Memorial in Hyde Park at 11am on Remembrance Sunday.

This act of remembrance was the idea of Secretary Lieutenant Colonel (Retd) Andy Astbury who works in Royal Artillery Regimental headquarters at Larkhill. “Last summer was aware that we only had two copies of the Roll of Honour, the third is buried in our memorial at Hyde Park, so I arranged to get it digitised,” he said.

“From that grew the project of actually reading the names out somewhere, just as is done at any village war memorial serviced on Remembrance Sunday, this is just a slightly bigger challenge. To our knowledge this has never been read our before.”

Amongst those reading the names was Lance Bombardier Ryan Mason who is serving at the Royal School of Artillery. “This was a very special occasion,” said Ryan. “The first time that these names have been read out. I was asked to read out some of the names, I was really honoured and when I was standing there looking around seeing the different people and all the medals that they’ve got, it was very special.”

During Worlds War One, 880,000 all ranks served in the Regiment, of these 49,076 were killed in action or died, 129,156 were wounded and 6,689 were reported missing, a total loss of 184,921, almost 25% of those that served.

Elsewhere, members of Larkhill based 32 Regiment travelled to London to spend the day at Waterloo Station collecting on behalf of The Royal British Legion's Poppy Appeal.

To mark the centenary of the end of World War 1, the Royal Artillery Museum and Arsenal Football Club are arranging for 100 Veterans to take part in a televised commemoration activity during the Arsenal v Wolves football match at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday 11th November.

There will be a short remembrance service and wreath laying on the pitch with the Last Post being played before the kick off.

The invitation from Arsenal football club is to mark the long association of the Royal Artillery at Woolwich Arsenal from which the team takes its name.