Thursday 15th September 2016 marks the centenary of the death of Guy Baring, the sitting Winchester MP who was killed on the Somme in the Great War.
Lt Col Baring was one of 22 MPs who gave their lives in World War One, and at the time of his death had been the Winchester MP for ten years. He had volunteered for service despite being over 40 years of age, and had six children at home.
His death occurred during the Battle of Flers–Courcelette, which was the third and final general offensive mounted by the British Army. Three Coldstream Guard battalions advanced down the Ginchy to Lesboeufs road to attack a German position, and Guy was one of 14 officers killed in action that day. He rests in The Citadel New Military Cemetery, near Fricourt.
His great-great-nephew, Mark Baring, said: "Commemorating the deaths in military service of Parliamentarians like Guy Baring is important as a symbol of the terrible sacrifices made by so many families in the First World War. It also reminds our generation of how incredibly lucky we are to have lived in an era of relative global peace."
Current Winchester MP Steve Brine said: "It is important that we mark this day, and remember the sacrifices that were made for our country. I often stop when passing the special WW1 commemorative plaque inside Westminster Hall and it was good to visit it with Mark a few years back. I know he is rightly immensely proud of his great-great-uncle as are we all in Winchester."
Pictured; Steve Brine MP and Mark Baring at a WW1 memorial inside the House of Commons