FORMER army staff sergeant David Waite has commemorated this year’s centenary of the end of the First World War by cycling to every free standing war memorial in Worcestershire. In a ride which took five days and covered more than 350 miles, he was in the saddle for over 30 hours as he visited 127 sites.

Mr Waite, who lives in Great Malvern, served in the Royal Logistics Corps and took up road cycling seven years ago. He said: “This was the longest distance I have attempted and I was pretty tired by the end, but it was absolutely worth it. As this year is the centenary of the 1918 Armistice I wanted to pay a personal tribute to all those Worcestershire men and women who gave their lives during World War One.

“I decided to ride to all the county’s free-standing war memorials because these are the last visible link we have between us living today and those who lost their lives, but who were born, lived and worked in Worcestershire. For me, it was an interesting experience coming across so many different types of war memorial in some unexpected locations. But ultimately it all comes down to local communities remembering the sacrifice of the men from their villages.

“As well as physically visiting the memorials, I photographed each one to create a photographic legacy for the county and hope that those choosing to support the rides will in turn support two local charities which work to support injured veterans (The Tommy Atkins Centre) and archive the stories of soldiers (Remember The Fallen) for future generations.”

Gillian Roberts, Worcestershire World War One Hundred Project Officer said: “What a way to remember the soldiers from Worcestershire who gave their lives in the Great War. We often travel to the battlefields to visit memorials and remember those who gave their lives so it seems fitting that David chose to do this on home ground and visit all 127 memorials right here in Worcestershire.”

Among the war heroes honoured by Mr Waite was Malcolm Hutchinson House, whose name appears on the war memorial at Malvern College. He was the third son of Harry House, a housemaster at the College, and his wife Kate. Malcolm was a second lieutenant in the 8th Battalion Rifle Brigade when he was killed in action in France aged 19 by a sniper while moving a Lewis gun into position. He is commemorated on the Arras Memorial in France. Malcolm’s two older brothers also served in the war and both survived.