THREE wooden crosses placed on the bloody battlefields of The Somme in memory of North-East soldiers will be reunited for the first time in eight decades.

The crosses were erected on top of the Butte de Warlencourt in memory of Durham Light Infantry soldiers who died in a failed attack on the hill in November 1916.

The crosses remained on the battlefield until 1926, when they were returned to County Durham. One was sent to St Andrew's Church, at South Church, Bishop Auckland, one to Chester-le-Street Parish Church and the third, and largest, to the Regimental Chapel at Durham Cathedral.

As part of an exhibition to mark the 90th anniversary of the battle, they have been brought together at the Durham Light Infantry Museum and Durham Art Gallery.

Visitors can see original letters, diaries, trench maps, sketches and photographs that reveal the impact of the Battle of the Somme on the lives of soldiers and County Durham communities.

Durham County Record Office, where the DLI's archive is preserved, has loaned the items.

More than 15,000 DLI soldiers fought at the Somme, with more than half killed, wounded or missing in action.

Among them was Robert Constantine, from Gateshead, who wrote to his brother on September 4, 1916, saying: "The sooner this is over and I'm back home the better. I am getting properly fed up sick of the damn job, but it's no use grumbling, I'll have to stick it."

Eleven days later, he was killed in action.

The letter is on show at the exhibition, which runs at the museum, in Aykley Heads, Durham, until July 16.

The museum is open daily from 10am to 5pm.