WTC Fallen began as an offshoot of a Facebook group for students attending the college from 1970 to 1979.

Peter Lidgitt
Student 1972-75
Project Originator

Pete explains the origins of the project: ‘Annually, the College (now the University of Winchester) holds an Alumni Weekend which former members of the College and University attend. Unfortunately, Boris—a friend—was unable to attend fully the 2017 reunion due to a health scare. Whilst at college, neither of us were great attendees at the New or Old Chapel. However, we knew of the existence of the Chapel Rail, commemorating the names of the boys who gave their lives in the War to End All Wars. In order to keep Boris’s mind from his health issues, I suggested we research the names on the Chapel Rail in the hope that we could produce something for the 100th Anniversary of the Armistice in 2018. Thus, the idea was born’.

The size of the undertaking quickly became apparent and a call to arms was posted the Facebook group. From this a small team of volunteer alumni emerged to begin work on presenting the stories and lives that lay behind these names and the part played by the college during the Great War. The project became almost a full-time commitment for the core researchers and writers and the goal of completing the work for the Armistice Centenary was met.

John ‘Boris’ Westwood
Student 1972-75
Image Processor, Researcher and Writer

John’s hobby of photography enabled him to enhance old photographs and bring to life the past. In addition, he helped Dee and John to tell the stories of the Fallen. His work was curtailed by increasing ill-health and we sadly lost him in early 2019.

John Hartley
Student 1963-66
Pioneer and foundational work

Although not involved in this project directly, beginning in 1997 John had begun researching the war dead. He compiled details of the sixty—painstaking work in the days that few records were available online. Unfortunately, much of this past work was handed to a third party and was lost. What did survive was a list of each man’s basic details (date of death, regiment, college years, etc.) and this saved much time in the early phase of the project. We thank John for his work and generously giving us access to what remains of his much earlier work. He has written a piece on this work under Feature Articles: Winton Memorial Chapel.

Dee Sayers
Student 1974-78
Researcher and Writer

A historian by education and background, she took a special interest in the Mesopotamian conflict and the fourteen alumni who died there, researching and writing their biographies, as well as a few who served on the Western Front. Some of the additional background articles are also her work. We lost Dee in June 2024 after a long battle with cancer and her passing leaves us with happy memories of working together but with great sadness at her passing. Dee looked forward to the launching of this new-look website and gave it her imprimatur.

John Vickers
Student 1974-77
Online Resources Lead, Researcher and Writer

Dee and John together were the main project writers and researchers. John’s experience in IT, genealogy and military research helped feed source material into the project, around which the stories of the men were written. He continues to curate the considerable data generated during the project, makes necessary amendments and responds to website queries and feedback. John created this re-edited second edition of the website.

David Fernando
Student 1979-82
IT Advice and Webhosting

Through his webdesign and marketing business Terra Ferma Media, David generously stepped in and volunteered web hosting, support and guidance for the WTC Fallen website.

Pat Naylor
Student 1972-74
Western Front Memorials

Pat took the photos of the cemeteries, graves and memorial plaques to the dead in France and Belgium.

Clare Hadwell
Student 1977-81
Proof Reader and Adviser

Clare painstakingly worked through the narratives to ensure typos and mistakes were removed. Being a member of The Western Front Association, she was able to bring a wealth of knowledge to bear. Hours of reading by her enabled us to declare the narratives ‘Clared’ for publication! Those errors which are still evident have probably crept in during subsequent revisions and therefore do not reflect on her work!

Michaela Farr
Student 2012-15
Initial Web Designer

As a Media Production student at the University of Winchester, Michaela’s background in web-building provided the first edition of the WTC Fallen website.

Martial Rose
Principal of King Alfred’s College Winchester, 1967-84

Martial was a constant source of encouragement to the team, having expressed his interest from its earliest days. As articles neared or reached completion he read the copy and kept encouraging everyone towards completion. As a former Principal, there was an almost paternal interest in these WWI students’ lives even though they predated his tenure by half a century. His particular joy was in the men who, like himself, had risen from unremarkable beginnings. He felt it vital that those who had left no mark on living memory should have their lives made known. As seen in his Foreword on the Welcome page of this website, he very deliberately placed the passage from Ecclesiastes 44 as a text over the project: ‘And some there be, which have no memorial; Who are perished as though they had not been, And are become as though they had not been born.’ He therefore saw the work undertaken as corrective and redemptive. Most of us were students under his leadership and felt a close connection with him. We were greatly saddened by his loss in early 2021.

Thanks to everybody who has partaken in this journey, both within college and outside.

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