RELATIVES of two men who died on the battlefield 200 years ago met for a a special service at a north Hampshire church.

More than 20 people attended the service at St Mary’s Church, in Upton Grey, on Tuesday afternoon, to commemorate the end of the Peninsula War and the Waterloo Campaigns.

The relatives were descendants of two men from the village who fought against the Napoleonic Empire: Lieutenant John Henry Beaufoy and Thomas Woodman.

Lt Beaufoy died at the age of 19 at the Battle of Talavera, which was fought in a town nearly 100 miles to the south west of Madrid on July 27 and 28, 1809.

Thomas Woodman fell at the Battle of Waterloo in present day Belgium, on June 18, 1815, when forces under the command of the Duke of Wellington defeated Napoleon’s French Army.

The service was led by the Reverend Peter Dyson.

He said: “The Peninsula War was a long time ago but we believe the service will be a moving occasion and a time to remember the personal cost to many of the 20 year fight against Napoleon.

“It is, of course, no coincidence that this personal memorial for two of our villagers is taking place in the summer when the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo is being celebrated.”

Church warden Geoffery Yeowart, who visited the Peninsula War battlegrounds last year, said it was hard work to track down the relatives, and thanked village historian Trevor Hart.

He added: “All the family had moved out of Upton Grey by 1840 and most of the members of the family alive now didn’t even know their relatives had fought in the Peninsula Wars.”

One descendant of Lt Beaufoy, Erica Nadin-Snelling, said: “I thought the rector was so welcoming and inspiring.

“I was extremely happy with the service.

“The Beaufoys have always been in the spirit of living well and making sure everyone else is living well.

“They have always had the Quaker spirit and given generously to charity throughout history – this is what makes us proud and not necessarily that our ancestors went to war.”