PREPARE for an evening of commemoration to remember the brave men and women of the First World War.
Grimsby Minster will play host to local musicians and writers who will be bringing to life once more the voices of men and women who took part.
Roger Beard, Gordon Wilson and Andy Freeman, founder members of local group Next Of The Summer Wine, along with musician Richard Papps and poets Carolyn Doyley and Tracy Booth, will offer a tapestry of music and words as songs, poems, war-time diaries, letters and journals from the trenches and the home front are read and performed.
The evening will bring together not only the well-known words and tunes of wartime writers but also material and contemporary songs, some written by the group specially for the occasion.
Of particular local interest will be the Grimsby Chums Suite which is being performed for the first time and is inspired by the story of the 10th (Service) Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment.
Six female dance students from Franklin College will also be performing a Morris dance to support the folk song, The Ladies Go Dancing At Whitsun.
Mr Freeman said: "The wonderful setting of Grimsby Minster is particularly appropriate for this premiere as it was in this very church on Sunday, July 6, 1919, that the Chums met for the very last time as a Battalion and handed over their Colours for safe keeping.
"We hope this will be an evening of variety with writers, musicians and dancers all sharing the experiences of those involved in what came to be called The Great War.
"Next Of The Summer Wine have performed in small festivals and venues for a number of years but we wanted to be more ambitious in this commemoration of such a significant event as the outbreak of the First World War. So much memorable material is available it was really difficult to make a selection."
The event is being held in connection with North East Lincolshire's First World War Heritage exhibition Eleven Eleven Eleven which will be opening at the Fishing Heritage Centre, on Tuesday, November 11.
It will explore the impact of the war on the people of Grimsby and surrounding areas and the contributions they made. It will pay particular attention to the men who crewed the trawlers during the wars and the important role they played.
The performance of The Great War is on Saturday, November 1, at Grimsby Minster, starting at 7.30pm
Tickets are available from the Minster office and Cleethorpes Information Centre or you can pay at the door.
Tickets on the door cost £5 with £4 concessions.
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