Cambridgeshire communities prepare remarkable tributes for the centenary of the end of the Great War
Histon and Impington village lead the way with amazing poppy tribute to the fallen 100 years on...
Cambridgeshire communities have created some remarkable tributes to the fallen for the centenary of the end of the First World War.
In Histon and Impington, some 392 poppies have been made from plastic bottles by a WI workshop with each flower representing a village resident who served during the war.
They are being displayed on Memorial Green.
The Histon & Impington Village Society has also created a WWI Voices film telling the story of local people involved in the war in their own voices. It features recordings made during their lifetimes and readings of letters written at the time.
Stories include accounts of going over the top at the Somme, the horrors of gas attacks, the bizarre events on the Eastern Front in the Italian mountains and more.
The hour-long film will be shown at 7.30pm on Friday and Saturday (November 9-10) at the St Andrew’s Centre, Histon, opposite Tesco. There will be refreshments served after each showing.
Tickets are £4 each and are available from St Andrew’s Centre church office, Histon Library, Station Stores, or Joyce Horkley on 01223 232744.
A ‘Roll of Honour’ booklet, costing £2, is also available from Ms Horkley. This booklet lists the 391 men and one woman of Histon and Impington who served their country during the war. It is obtainable from Histon Library or Ms Horkley on the number above.
Cherry Hinton is host to a number of free events this coming weekend. An exhibition, Cherry Hinton Remembers, tells the stories of the 52 men and women from the area who gave their lives in the Great War and offers a glimpse of how life would have been in the village from 1914-18, a time when the parish was comprised mainly of farmland.
It also includes a children’s exhibition which introduces young people to Alice and George, who attended Cherry Hinton National School during the First World War. The exhibition is free to attend and can be seen at The Cherry Hinton Village Leisure Centre on Saturday, (November 10), between 10am-2.30pm and at the CHUB, Cherry Hinton Library from 11.30am-2.30pm on Sunday (November 11). Free refreshments will be served at both events.
Residents have also been knitting, crocheting and crafting 1,000 poppies, which form part of the Cherry Hinton yarn bomb on the railings of the War Memorial Recreation Ground.
A First World War concert has also been arranged by Rosemary Wheeler, featuring music from the shows and music halls of the time.
Taking place on Saturday, (November 10) from 2.30-4pm at Cherry Hinton Village Leisure Centre, the event is free to attend – although, if you require reserved seating, please call 01223 210724.
There will be a Remembrance service at Cherry Hinton Baptist church at 10am followed by a gathering at the War Memorial Recreation Ground at 10.45am. A community café will follow from 11.30am- 2.30pm. A parade will then be led by a piper to the church and the bells will ring for a service at 3pm at St Andrew’s Church. The bells will then ring out again at 7.05pm as part of the nationwide programme, called ‘Battles over – a nation’s tribute’.
