The new musical – Four Winters at War – has been written by local playwright, Peter Sidgwick to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Great War. It will be performed in the Birches Valley open air venue on Cannock Chase in the area where around 500, 000 men lived and trained in the two Great…
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A new memorial honouring 160 servicemen from Chadsmoor who fell in World War 1 has been erected in Chadsmoor. Campaigners raised £12, 000 towards the Portland stone memorial which has been built on the corner of Burns Street and Cannock Road. The Bishop of Wolverhampton, Reverend Clive Gregory, officiated at the dedication ceremony on 18th April. For more…
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The Gallipoli Campaign began 100 years ago. This year, the hundreds of thousands of men from across the world who lived, fought and died at Gallipoli a century ago are being remembered. On 25th April 1915 52, 000 Allied soldiers landed on the Gallipoli Peninsula on the edge of the Eastern Mediterranean. They faced a…
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Lichfield Cathedral has been named as one of 31 cathedrals to receive a grant from government-sponsored scheme, the First World War Centenary Cathedral Repairs Fund. The fund was set up to support vital repairs to some of England’s most important historic buildings, and today Chancellor George Osborne has announced grants of between £12,000 and £800,000…
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A tribute is being planned to establish and maintain a lasting memorial which acknowledges the horse’s unfaltering service to mankind throughout times of conflict, work and in sport, rehabilitation and education. This accolade to the horse is the only memorial the National Memorial Arboretum has granted to an animal in its own right. “A site has been…
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Anna Wilson from Civic Voice highlights the funding available to groups to assist in the preservation of war memorials – It is absolutely right that we help communities up and down the country to ensure that their local war memorials are a fitting tribute to the fallen and increase people’s understanding of what happened. That…
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Superact has just launched a free WWI music and history Resource Pack on-line suitable for nurseries, schools, colleges and community groups. The pack includes a wonderful introduction from Michael Morpurgo, activity and lesson ideas for KS1, KS2 and KS3 and songs from the era. This pack is part of Superact’s The Last Post project which is a…
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Thursday 5th March saw a paving stone unveiling ceremony to commemorate the 145 overseas-born World War I recipients of the Victoria Cross. As part of the Centenary commemorations of World War I the Department of Communities and Local Government will lay commemorative paving stones in the birth place of each Victoria Cross recipient, to honour…
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Members of the public on Cannock Chase on Sunday afternoon were lucky enough to see a slice of living history as uniformed WW1 soldiers were taken through their drills. Cast from the Lichfield Players’ forthcoming production of ‘The Accrington Pals’ costumed up and were drilled outside the Marquis Drive site’s Great War Camps Interpretation Centre…
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The Cannock Chase AONB Partnership has been awarded nearly £10,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund to deliver a project which focuses on interpreting Cannock Chase’s rich First World War heritage. To mark 100 years since the First World War, the project will see local people come together to preserve the memories and heritage of the…
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