Ahead of next month’s centenary of the end of the Battle of the Somme, The FA has joined forces with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) to support theirLiving Memory project.
The project will encourage clubs at every level of football to unite and remember all those buried in CWGC graves.
Colin Kerr, director of External Relations for the CWGC, explained: “We’re asking people connected to football at all levels to engage with us and The FA on this initiative by visiting cwgc.org to find a cemetery near them simply by inputting their postcode. Then visit the graves between 1 and 18 November, which marks the centenary of the last day of the Battle of the Somme.
“We’d certainly urge visitors to lay flowers as a mark of remembrance. Members of the England senior men’s team will lay roses to reflect the Tudor roses on the FA crest and the England team badge.
“Most of all, we want people to share their exploits by tweeting photos using the handles @FA and @CWGC plus hashtags #LivingMemory and #FootballRemembers. That way, we keep the spirit of these brave men alive and the war graves are never forgotten.”
The CWGC cares for 300,000 graves and memorials throughout the UK in more than 12,000 locations.
There are four key aims to the project – discover, explore, remember and champion – which will provide ways for people connected to football to learn about this important point in British history.
To find out more, click here.
