Sir Trevor Brooking led the way as the memories of a unique group of soldiers were honoured with the unveiling of a special plaque at the Boleyn Ground on Sunday morning.
Raised by the Mayor of the Borough in 1914, the 13th Battalion (West Ham) of the Essex Regiment bravely fought alongside hundreds of thousands of courageous young men in the First World War. Volunteers from all over east London answered the call of their nation - ordinary men aged between 21 and 40 - leaving their families, jobs and their favourite football club, West Ham United, behind to fight for their country.
To mark Remembrance Sunday, Sir Trevor joined descendants from that special Battalion, members of the Royal Anglian Regiment, the Royal British Legion and modern-day supporters of West Ham United at the West Stand main entrance to mark the tremendous efforts of those men in keeping the nation safe. Among those also present from the club were West Ham United CEO Scott Duxbury, Tony Gale and Tony Cottee.
The original 13th Essex King's Colours will be paraded, while the Last Post will be played by the last line of the Essex Regiment, the men of C (Essex) Company, 1st Battalion, Royal Anglian Regiment, with the 2nd Newham Scouts forming the Honour Guard.
At 11am, two minutes of silence was held to honour those who never came home to the east end. There will also be a minute's silence before the match against Everton this afternoon, with the players wearing shirts featuring embroidered poppies.
A special website has been set up to allow descendants and supporters to find out more about the extraordinary efforts of the 'West Ham pals'.
The blog - http://westhampals.blogspot.com - features photographs, stories and a wealth of information about the brave men who risked their lives for their country, many paying the ultimate sacrifice.
For more on this story, see Sunday's matchday programme. Click here to order your copy.