In 1920 the Prince of Wales later to become King Edward VIII came to the Island to lay the foundation stone for a memorial to honour the scores of young Bermudians who fought and died in Europe during the Great War.

The Government of the day had solicited designs for a small monument in the Cabinet grounds. It was never built.

Ninety years and another World War later, Government is finally taking up the long-neglected promise of its predecessor.

A new memorial to be built this year in front of the Cabinet Building will be inscribed with the names of every Bermudian to serve in the World Wars both here and abroad.

The task of compiling the list of veterans fell to Carol Everson, the Bermuda welfare caseworker for the Royal British Legion.

For the past year Ms Everson has been conducting a campaign called No Soldier Left Behind, an exhaustive search for the names of all who served.

Through a series of radio and print advertisements, the campaign has appealed to relatives of veterans to come forward with the names and stories of Bermudian servicemen and women. The response has been overwhelming.

"The general public has been amazing, we've had all sorts of letters and e-mails," said Ms Everson, who has received approximately 1000 phone calls and almost as many e-mails.

So far, with the public's assistance, the campaign has amassed 2,780 names of Bermudians who served in the World Wars. Ms Everson has also discovered the identities of 150 soldiers who died in combat a number higher than previously estimated.

Bermudians served in both conflicts in many parts of the world either as part of the Island's own segregated regiments, or else by joining foreign units. Other veterans never experienced battle, but will still be honoured by the new memorial.

"People in 'reserved occupations' were often given places in the Home Guard," explained Ms Everson.

Until now, there has never been a comprehensive list of Bermuda's veterans. In the 1960s, a number of invaluable documents were destroyed in a fire, at a considerable cost to the Island's history.

So Ms Everson has scoured archival records, newspapers and even church memorials throughout the Island to ensure no veteran is forgotten.

"It's been a task that had to be done thoroughly. We've had to make sure no stone is left unturned."

In addition to the names she set out to find, Ms Everson has also unearthed countless stories of Bermudian servicemen and their exploits enough material to perhaps one day fill a book. For now, however, Ms Everson's priority is completing the memorial, as time for the roughly 350 remaining veterans and widows is running out.

"The fact that we have more names than we expected will obviously make the task a little more difficult. But our hope is to have the memorial dedicated in time for November 11."

In order to finish the monument before Remembrance Day, Ms Everson is asking Bermudians to make any final submissions as soon as possible.

The memorial will occupy a space in the Cabinet grounds at the corner of Court and Front Streets. It will include a semi-circle of granite stones inscribed with the names of veterans surrounding a rolling ball fountain.

Ms Everson said she hoped the flowers that will decorate the memorial will make it a place for peaceful reflection.

A mason in London is standing by for a list of names to engrave, though the design allows for additional space should any omissions be discovered.

Submissions, which must include documentation attesting to a veteran's service, should be made to nosoldierleftbehind@hotmail.com or to Ms Everson at 533-4567.