The newly refurbished war memorial in Leavesden High Road "will be there for another hundred years", according to the chairman of a voluntary organisation.

After 15 months of fundraising, the new granite memorial was unveiled by Morris Saunders from the British Legions and Staff Sergeant Alex Gooch at a ceremony on Sunday afternoon. The service was attended by veterans, active soldiers and cadets. 

The memorial commemorates the centenary of the First World War and features the names of the 27 people from the parish who were killed during the First World War. All the names are engraved into the stone.

However the memorial also recognises the servicemen and women who were killed during World War Two and other "subsequent conflicts."

Melvyn Beaumont, chairman of Leavesden Community Group, said: "We were very pleased with how the day went. We were very pleased as a community. We must have had in excess of 150 attend which is quite good.

"It looks absolutely stunning. It will be there for another hundred years.

"We hope it will be a point for the community to come on Remembrance Day and stand there with pride."

TV presenter and actor, Bradley Walsh, who grew up in Leavesden, also attended the ceremony, which started with the stone being blessed and prayers led by Father Edward Green, vicar at Leavesden All Saints, Horseshoe Lane.

A cake made by the Glitter Cake Company containing the words "Lest We Forget" was at the reception held after the memorial unveiling. 

Work to refurbish the old sandstone memorial cost in the region of £10,500.

The owners of Kings Langley Building Supplies, Mr and Mrs Rance, donated the stone used in the refurbishment and RGR memorials, who are based in Northampton installed it.

Co-operative funeral care paid for the Northampton based stonemasons to install the High Road memorial and the foundations were laid by Murrill.

Mr Beaumont reserved special praise for the donations that the group received.

He said: "If we had not had these generous donations, work of this kind may not have been achievable.

"We thank them all for their generous donations and it was very pleasing to see their presence on the day."  

It is thought the memorial used to be situated under the doorway to the public reading rooms in High Road.