Belmont residents organise four-year programme of activities to commemorate centenary
FIRST SHOTS: Belmont to commemorate outbreak of war

FIRST SHOTS: Belmont to commemorate outbreak of war

A FOUR-YEAR programme of activities to commemorate the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War is set to be launched.

Residents of Belmont are organising a series of events to mark the anniversary, beginning on Friday (July 18) with the launch event First Shots.

The free event takes place at 7.30pm in Belmont Parish Hall, when historians David Butler and Steve Shannon will discuss Belmont in the summer of 1914 and the life of the soldier during hostilities.

Eileen Glenton and George Hetherington will provide a musical interlude with songs from the period.

Project officer Erika Denholm said: “We are calling the project ‘Their War, Our History’ because a century later the Great War still means so much to people of all ages.

“Memories, both good and bad have been handed down through the generations and it is important the sacrifices of our forebears are never forgotten.”

Dave Drinkwater, chair of Belmont Community Association which is managing the project, added: “Our intention over the next four years, is to involve local schools, community associations and individuals in what is after all our history.”

A second event entitled Light Out will take place at Belmont Community Centre on Monday, August 4, the anniversary of the British declaration of war.