Real stories about young men who fought in World War 1 and their mums will be told as part of an Armistice 100 performance by pupils from Calverley CE Primary School.
Parents, Councillors and members of the Royal British Legion will join staff, parishioners and fellow Key Stage 2 pupils at two performances on Friday in St Wilfrid’s Church, next to the school. The first is at 1.30pm and the second at 2.45pm.
The moving performance is by seven girls and five boys from Years 3, 4 and 5, who have been learning lines and rehearsing over the last few weeks. At the start, the pupils play the roles of children, then the boys become young soldiers and the girls their mums.
The performance recalls the Christmas Day truce of 1914 in which English and German troops sang carols and played in football matches. The School Orchestra will lead the singing of Silent Night in memory of the truce.
The event has been organised by creative performers Simon Kerrigan and Sian Williams, of Shipley, who will be taking part in the performance. They were also behind a much-acclaimed retelling of the Easter story in the church. Both performances involve video, music and puppetry.
Pupils from throughout the school have been working on Remembrance artwork to be displayed in the Memorial Garden close to the main entrance to the school. The school has also been selling poppies and raised £580 for the Royal British Legion. Pupils have also been learning about World War 1 and Armistice in their lessons.
Headteacher Bob Curran said:
“Remembrance is an important part of the school year at Calverley CE Primary. The church performance is part of this year’s special effort to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the end of World War 1.
“Our Memorial Garden provides another opportunity for Remembrance, with art work and poppy wreaths produced by the children. It took on a greater importance two years ago when we commemorated the Battle of the Somme.”