Bamford 1914 - 1918 and Beyond - World War 1 project

· The project is being run jointly by Bamford with Thornhill Parish Council and Bamford and District History Group. We have obtained a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund ‘Then and Now’ to commemorate 100 years since the end of World War One in Bamford.· The aims of the project are to remember the lives of men and women from Bamford who served in WW1, both those who died and those who returned, and to look at their legacy and how Bamford has changed in the last hundred years.

· As part of this project volunteers including the children from Bamford School and the WI are making Poppies to display throughout the village in November.

· Special large Poppies have been ordered from the Royal British Legion to display on posts through the village.

· People who have family stories to tell about what happened during WW1 and after are to be interviewed and recorded.

· There will be a tea party for Bamford’s older residents and the school children to bring generations together.

· Two members of Bamford and District History Group are writing books, one about men and women from Bamford and Derwent who lost their lives in WW1 and what happened to their families, the other book is stories taken from local newspapers before, during and just after WW1, to give a picture of what was happening in Bamford at the time. Copies of these books will be available free of charge to Bamford residents (1 per household).

· We are researching old maps so we can compare the 1918 map with present day Bamford, Thornhill and Yorkshire Bridge.

· Bamford & District Garden Society have included a special section in their Annual Garden Show in August.

· BCAC will be giving a performance of ‘The Unreturning Army’ in the Bamford Institute on Thursday, November 8^th ENTRY WILL BE FREE.

· There will be a WW1 exhibition in the Institute from Friday, November 9th until Tuesday, 13^th November.

· There will be an interdenominational Service of Remembrance on Sunday November 11th

· We will be showing the film ‘War Horse’ in the Bamford Institute on Friday, November 16th ENTRY WILL BE FREE.

· The Anglers and Yorkshire Bridge Inn will also be commemorating the event.

Other thoughts are:

· People could make figures of WW1 (soldiers/nurses/horses) out of straw like the figures in Carnival week and display them in their gardens.

· People could display large poppies in their gardens and windows

· We might be able to put temporary ‘blue plaques’ on houses where soldiers lived (if owners are agreeable)

Can you help in any way? Do you have family stories/photographs/memorabilia?

Have you got any ideas or suggestions? If so please contact

Sue Beckett 651634 - Chair of Bamford with Thornhill Parish Council beckett615@btinternet.com

Or Kath Hearnshaw 651624 - Chair of Bamford History Group bamford.history@gmail.com