Sophie Unger – Historic Environment Record Officer

As a professional archaeologist, I manage the Historic Environment Record (HER) which is a database recording the known archaeological sites, finds and historic buildings in East Sussex and Brighton and Hove.

A large proportion of my time is spent recording and mapping data of sites on archaeological and historical importance in the local area. I am also the project manager for the Recording Remembrance project, which is a sister project to the East Sussex WW1 project. The aim of Recording Remembrance is to do just that- to record the war memorials across the county and the stories of the individuals who are engraved on them.

(© David Dyer)

Ernest Saunders (© David Dyer)

The majority of my work consists of managing data, so it can sometimes be easy to forget that these records document people’s real life experiences; we can’t always see the thoughts, feelings and emotions attached to them. However, one of the first photographs submitted to the website by contributor David Dyer was of Ernest Saunders from Hailsham.

Ernest was a Private in the 2nd Battalion Suffolk Regiment. He died aged 31 in May 1917 and is buried at Etaples Military Cemetery, in northern France. His name is recorded on three memorials in Hailsham – on the town’s main First World War memorial in the High Street, and in plaques at the former Council Boys School and Parish Church. Ernest is pictured with his wife, Elizabeth.

As well as losing her husband in the war, within the space of two years Elizabeth also lost her brother, George Smith. As we are now celebrating women’s history month, what struck me most about this photograph was how it is also important to remember the women’s experiences of war. Although it is important to remember the sacrifice of the men and women who went off to contribute to the war effort, the families left behind at home also had ordeals to face, such as the prospect of losing many of their loved ones.

If you would like to contribute to the Recording Remembrance project and record your local war memorial then please visit our website for more information.