Every year on 30 June we remember what has become known as “The Day Sussex Died”. This year, on 30 June, Paul Goring organised a gathering at the town hall in Rye and gave a cry reminding people of the loss of such brave soldiers, with Colonel Anthony Kimber giving a short speech outlining the facts of the battle.
Paul Goring said, “Today marks the 110th anniversary of the Battle of Boar’s Head, known as the day that Sussex died. It was one of the most disastrous events of the war and many people in Sussex mark this day with respect, having a direct connection to men who died in this battle. Both of my grandfathers fought in France in the Second World War with the Royal Sussex and my father served with them for his National Service. Today I am wearing his Royal Sussex tie in respect. It is important to remember our gallant soldiers and I felt that the 110th anniversary of the loss of 1300 men deserved to be marked with a cry.”
More than a century has passed since the opening day of the Battle of the Somme, yet the echoes of that morning can still be found in villages, churches and memorials across the county. Behind every name carved in stone was a family whose life changed forever. Remembrance is not about dwelling on the past; it is about ensuring those sacrifices continue to have meaning.
The men who marched away in 1916 expected to come home but many never did. The true cost of 30 June was measured not only on the battlefield but in empty chairs around dinner tables, farms without sons, businesses without apprentices and children who grew up knowing only photographs of their fathers.
History records dates but communities remember people. This day is more than an anniversary, it is a reminder that ordinary Sussex men displayed extraordinary courage. As the years pass, our responsibility is simple: we must remember their names, honour their sacrifice and never allow their stories to fade.
Image Credits: Kt bruce .