NOW that the pavilion is up and running Holsworthy Town Council is starting its newest project: ‘Holsworthy World War One 100 years — to the Memory of the Fallen and the Future of the Living’, writes Zoë Uglow.

The project will commemorate the end of World War One.

The council will be joining with other local community organisations to organise a series of events, heritage exhibitions and commemorations to thank and remember all those individuals who went through ‘the war to end all wars’.

The group comprises volunteers from Holsworthy Museum, Scouts, RBL branch, Lions and Rotary clubs, the Youth Club, Holsworthy Amateur Theatrical Society (HATS), the local primary school and community college and parish councils.

It is hoped this wide array of members will be able to make sure that all in this rural area can become involved in their heritage and learn more about, commemorate and thank a generation who gave and sacrificed so much.

One of the ambitious aims of the project is to turn Holsworthy into the ‘Poppy Town’ of Devon ensuring that from May onwards everywhere possible in the town is planted with poppies. To help achieve this goal everyone is being encouraged to place a poppy or poppies — flower, knitted, ceramic, cardboard, drawn etc — in the window of their house or garden. The council is giving out free small bags of poppy seeds, including to the primary school, community college and youth centre, to encourage all to take part. If anyone from the town would like the seeds they are available from the Visitor Information Centre in the Memorial Hall, Manor Car Park.

Holsworthy Rubies WI will also be busy making poppies. If anyone would like a free knitting/crochet pattern for making a poppy these can be obtained from the town council’s website, from the Visitor Information Centre or from Sue of Yarns of Holsworthy in Victoria Square.

However, the poppies are just a part of the project; it is intended that a permanent ‘WWI Memorial Tree Trail’ will be planted by the town council in the Stanhope Park. Thirty-nine trees will be planted, dotted around the park, remembering the 39 local servicemen who died during the war. A 40th will also be planted, this will be a mature apple tree planted for those that survived and those that lived through it — symbolising the future of the living. Each tree will have a plaque, with the photograph if possible, bearing the name and brief history of the deceased with the 40th tree having a large silhouette plaque of the ‘Silent Soldier’, which will be produced by the local Men’s Shed group. There will also be at the entrance to the park an information board about the tree trail and why it was created and who contributed to the project. The information on the board will also be contained on a leaflet which will also be obtainable online and via the town council and museum websites. It is hoped that local businesses, organisations, parish councils and individuals will help towards the costs of the trees by sponsoring a tree at a cost of £250 each — each sponsor will have their names/logos displayed on the plaque that accompanies the tree they sponsored. This has already proved popular, with some trees already being sponsored, but if anyone is interested in becoming a ‘tree sponsor’ they are advised to contact the town council as soon as possible on 01409 253312 or by email on [email protected] to avoid disappointment.

The local Men’s Shed will also be making a number of bird boxes, which will be placed on the more mature trees and the new apple tree in the park to encourage birds to nest within the trees new and old.

The planting of the trees will be done by local volunteers, young people from the college, and members of the Holsworthy Army Cadets under the guidance of the town council’s gardener/handyman George Wilcox. Children from the primary school, college and youth club will be encouraged to look after the trees and will also be involved in planting poppies throughout the town. This will help not only in reinforcing the human ‘stories’ behind the trees and memorial plaques but encourage them to take care of them.

Holsworthy Museum, as well as providing information about the servicemen in the area, will be holding an exhibition throughout the project period not only on the casualties of WWI but on the area during, before and after the period. As part of this the community will be asked to add to the existing information held by relating information, stories, photographs and memories about their relatives and families during the time. Several of the casualties’ relations still live locally and many of their houses and farms are still in existence.

Other events being planned are a family orientated picnic celebration party like the ones held at the end of WWI, in Stanhope Park with entertainment and the launch of the tree memorial — subject to funding. The college will be holding a Remembrance concert, children from the primary school learning about the era and planting poppies, HATS members will be presenting readings, music, dramatisations, poetry, and comedy from the era and the overgrown war graves in the churchyard will be tidied by the Scouts.

On Remembrance Sunday, November 11, there will be a Remembrance parade and service with the lighting of a beacon on the church tower at 7pm to join with other beacons all over the UK as part of the national ‘Battle’s Over — A Nation’s Tribute, 100 years of Remembrance’.