Brockenhurst in the New Forest has renewed its thanks to the forgotten heroes who had been accidentally left off the village war memorial.

At a special ceremony at the Sway Road memorial on Saturday, about 75 people turned up despite the pouring rain for the dedication of a new plaque which added the names of 26 people who had lost their lives through the First World War.

The names of those who died in later conflicts were also added.

Most died on the battlefields, although some died shortly after suffering fatal injuries and one - Sapper Herbert Smith - finally gave up his fight in 1927 after having his chin blown off in the battle of the Somme and then undergoing more than 30 operations.

Mr Smith's son Sid, 87, who now lives in Eastleigh, was at the ceremony.

He said: "I found it very touching. I have memories of my father when I was a kid and he went off to the war as a fit man. After it, he was a broken man."

But his father's suffering didn't deter Sid from fighting for his country in the Middle East when the Second World War broke out and as member of the Royal Military Police he was deeply involved in route-finding for the Army in North Africa.

The architect and researcher behind the additions was Brockenhurst parish councillor John Cockram, who explained: "When I came to Brockenhurst I was very surprised that it looked as though there were as many who lost their lives in the Second World War as in the First, so I checked on the people who had died and wrote their biographies.

"I think it is important for any village, any town or any city to remember those who have gone before.

"We are just completing the issue 70 or 80 years later. Whether you agree with war or you don't agree with war, it is something that has happened. It is important that we close that chapter."

Brockenhurst's memorial was unveiled in 1921 and a plaque commemorating 32 Second World War servicemen was erected in 1948.

Names added on Saturday were:

First World War: Charles Baker, Alfred Beard, Reginald Bew, Dan Broomfield, Thomas Dove, William Dunford, James Elford, John Harris, James Hewlett, John Hill, Samson Holman, Davis Kitcher, John Legg, Alex Mackintosh, Walter Middleton, James Miller, Edward Moores, William Philpott, Edwin Pullen, Frederick Raisey, Walter Reynard, Joseph Rickman, Herbert Smith, Sidney Stokes, Joseph Wells, Sidney White.

Second World War: Edward Smith, Bill Judd.

Post-1945: Nigel Sutton.

The names of villagers killed in the War were also added. They were Geoffrey and William Cumley, Jean Gentle, Lily, Ruth and Marion Reay, Phyllis, Molly and Beryl Street.

Mr Cockram is now working on the Lymington War Memorial and is anxious for people who have relatives recorded on it to contact him on 01590 624338.