Remembering the First World War in South Somerset

THE Heritage Lottery Fund has awarded £6,400 to help with a project for South Somerset to remember those who gave their lives in the First World War.

South Somerset District Council has this morning (Friday, February 28, 2014) announced the news for the funding for a project aptly Remembering.

Awarded through HLF’s First World War Then and Now programme, the project will focus on producing a booklet commemorating the First World War for all school children in South Somerset.

The project, to be launched later this year to mark the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of war on August 4, 1914, will enable local people in South Somerset to come together and preserve the stories of the people who lived through and fought in the First World War.

PHOTO - ABOVE: Volunteers at Yeovil Train Station getting ready to go off to war. Many of them would never return.

PHOTO - RIGHT: A memorial window in St John's Church in the heart of Yeovil.

Volunteers will collect photographs, newspaper clippings, documents, letters and photos of keepsakes, as well as family tales passed down to help them build a clear picture of what life was really like.

The Heritage Team at the Community Heritage Access Centre - run by South Somerset District Council - has been awarded the grant to produce commemorative booklets for school children and arrange talks and tours relating to life on the Home Front.

It will highlight some of the key men and women of South Somerset who shaped the war effort both at home and on the front lines.

Additionally staff at CHAC will be organising a temporary exhibition to be on display later this year and are working in partnership with the Imperial War Museum as part of a nation-wide initiative to commemorate the Centenary.

With help from professionals, the information gathered will be digitally recorded and an on-line interactive archive will be created where everyone can access and contribute information.  The archive will allow the public to discuss, contribute, share and research information about the Home Front.

The council’s Cllr Sylvia Seal said: “We are really thrilled to receive the support of the Heritage Lottery Fun for this project.

“We are committed to commemorating the sacrifices made by people in South Somerset and this project will ensure they are remembered and their stories understood.”

PHOTO - ABOVE: Ammunition workers in Yeovil.

PHOTO - ABOVE: Women workers at Westland Aircraft Factory in Yeovil.

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