Next July it will be a hundred years since the beginning of the First World War.

It will not be a time for celebrating – no war should be seen as such – but it will be a time for remembering those that joined up to fight miles from home in a foreign land, some even lying about their age.

In majority of cases as the main wage earner, they left behind loved ones who would have had to adapt their lifestyle accordingly.

It was thought the war would not last for long but it unfortunately it did and thousands died in the trenches.

Those that did return home, many were not only damaged physically but also mentally. It was not a war to forget easily. A whole generation was lost.

Men and boys from the area were usually recruited into the Dorset and Hampshire Regiments. Not forgetting Bournemouth was then in Hampshire.

What did your grandfather or great grandfather do during the First World War? How did families cope at home without their husbands or sons?

Perhaps for some women it was a chance shine in their own right.

Send your pictures and memories to Michaela Horsfield at Echoes or email them to michaela.horsfield@bournemouthecho.co.uk