Shepway will remember its fallen heroes in a series of commemorative events being held across the district.

The main commemorations will be held in the towns Folkestone, Hythe, Lydd and New Romney. But villages throughout the area will be holding their own services centred around their war memorials.

There are three commemorations being held in Folkestone over the next 10 days with the annual Armistice Day service at the Machine Gun Corps memorial on Friday, November 11, the town’s Remembrance Sunday parade on November 13, and a special commemoration marking the 100th anniversary of the end of the Battle of the Somme.

The traditional Machine Gun Corps memorial service takes place at the memorial at the western end of Cheriton Road Cemetery, Folkestone at 11am forming up at 10.50am.

A unique commemoration event will be held next week to mark the end of one of the most disastrous military campaigns in British history.

The Battle of the Somme was abandoned after 141 days on November 19, 1916. The campaign, which was launched to release pressure on French forces fighting in the Verdun sector, was a horrific failure with the first day still the single bloodiest day in the history of the British army.

Some 19,420 British soldiers lost their life on the first day alone. By the end of the offensive 100 years ago, there were more than one million casualties on the British, French and German sides.

At least 70 men from Shepway are known to have lost their lives during the fighting and exactly a century after the offensive was abandoned, a sea of 1,000 poppies will be planted in Folkestone to commemorate their sacrifices.

The project is a combined effort from the Shepway Heart Forum, Step Short and the Shorncliffe Trust with 1,000 children from Folkestone primary schools invited to each plant one of the poppies.

The planting will take place on Saturday, November 19 at 11am alongside the existing ‘Folk Stones’ artwork by Mark Wallinger near the Clifton Hotel. Members of the public are invited to pay their respects.

Children will plant their poppies which will be followed by a small ceremony attended by Folkestone mayor Martin Salmon and members of the Royal British Legion.

Roger Joyce, of the Shepway Heart Forum, said he felt it would be a good tribute to “flood The Leas with poppies”.

He added: "I’ve always been interested in that artwork. I always thought we should do something on the first day of the Somme.

"Because it was such a long battle and the end almost coincides exactly with Remembrance Sunday and I thought why shouldn’t we take it on."

Here are all the details of the main services in Shepway on Remembrance Sunday.

• Folkestone - starting at the War Memorial at the top of the Road of Remembrance from 10.45am ahead of wreath laying and silence at 11am led by the civic party and standards. A short service will follow with the Mayor of Folkestone taking the salute outside the town hall in Guildhall Street. Orders of service will be available at the war memorial on the day.

• Hythe - parade and service to be held at the War Memorial in The Grove. It will be attended by Cllr Michael Lyons, the Town Mayor of Hythe and civic and military dignitaries. The parade will set off from the Canal Bandstand on the south bank of the Royal Military Canal at 10.20am to the war memorial. Organisations are asked to assemble at 10.15am. A service will follow at the memorial before the parade reassembles in the High Street and sets off from opposite WOW gift shop. The rest of the parade will form up in Banks Street and dismissed in the High Street between Theatre Street and Douglas Avenue. The Mayor will take the salute at the town hall in the High Street. For more about taking part in the parade contact Margaret Stewart on margaret.stewart@hythe-kent.com

• New Romney - Service of Remembrance at St Nicholas Church, Church Lane at 10.45am. All are welcome to attended with car parking available free between 10am and 2pm.

• Lydd - hundreds of people are expected to join the parade in Lydd with the service starting at 10.50am at the All Saints’ Church. The parade will then make its way to the memorial garden where poppy wreaths will be laid. Lydd Town Council is appealing for volunteer marshalls - contact the town clerk or deputy town clerk on 01797 320999.