A HORNBEAM tree has been planted at South Farnham Junior School as a lasting memorial to all those who fought and gave their lives in the First World War.

It comes after children at the Menin Way school took part in a national poetry competition inspired by a tree that became a poignant symbol of hope during the 1914-18 conflict.

A solitary hornbeam was the only tree left standing at Delville Wood in northern France following two months of heavy fighting during the Battle of the Somme more than 100 years ago.

The National Memorial Arboretum possesses several hornbeams propagated from the Somme region and, to commemorate the centenary of the bloodiest battle in the history of the British army, it has presented 100 schools across the country with a hornbeam sapling to remember those who fought and to give hope for future generations.

Schools were invited to submit one poem each about the last surviving hornbeam in Delville Wood, and South Farnham’s entry was one of those chosen.

A spokesman for South Farnham said: “We were delighted to hear that we had been selected from all the entries to receive a commemorative hornbeam tree.”

The tree has been planted in the field to the rear of the school in memory of the some 16 million people who perished during the First World War.