SOLDIERS who sacrificed their lives in the First World War will be remembered forever after Didcot Town Council protected land for a permanent memorial.

Members of Didcot Royal British Legion were delighted on Monday night as councillors agreed to turn the Smallbones Recreation Ground by the town war memorial into a Centenary Field, permanently protected from development.

Didcot Legion president Bill Dagless said it was important that every town remembered servicemen and women who had given their lives for their country.

He said: "It is so important we have a place in the town where we can remember those brave and valiant individuals.

"This now means that the land by our war memorial is protected and developers cannot build on it.

"It will stop them driving past and think 'oh that’s a nice bit of land'.

"It is protected and will serve as a place for people to go and remember."

The Centenary Fields scheme is a national programme marking the centenary of the First World War from 2014 to 2018.

Royal British Legions throughout the country have appealed to their local councils to see if they are able to designate the land for remembrance.

Mr Dagless, who has been president of the Didcot branch for four years, added: "We must continue to remember and reflect, especially during the centenary.

"And we must continually remind all the new generations coming up of all conflicts that British servicemen and women have been a part of."

Earlier this month Mr Dagless, members of the Legion and the town council, commemorated the Battle of Jutland and the Battle of the Somme with a presentation of a seat inscribed with the words "Lest we Forget" for the Smallbones Recreation Ground.

The Battle of Jutland was the only major naval battle of the First World War and took place between the German High Sea Fleet and the British Grand Fleet.

Between May 31, 1916, and June 1, 1916, more than 6,000 British sailors lost their lives.

The Battle of the Somme was fought between July 1 and November 18, 1916, and its first day of conflict was the bloodiest day in the history of the British Army.

Mr Dagless added: "Remembrance is an important part of life and people have sacrificed their lives for others so that we can remain free from aggression."

The seat is also located near Didcot war memorial at Smallbones Recreation Ground behind Didcot Civic Hall.

Councillor Alan Thompson, member of Didcot Town Council’s World War I working group, said: "This is another example of the council’s commitment to commemorate the centenary of World War I.

"Making this seat available to members of the public is particularly poignant for me as a relative was a survivor of the Battle of Jutland."