A church draped in poppies, a wartime street party, bells ringing for peace and an exhibition of signed Dad’s Army memorabilia all formed part of remembrance weekend in Walsoken.
Residents gathered to see All Saints Church decorated in hand-crafted poppies and crosses throughout the weekend.
Yesterday (November 11) at 10am the bells rang out as part of the nation-wide ringing for peace to mark the centenary of Armistice Day.
On Saturday displays from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and an exhibition of Dad’s Army memorabilia was also on show.
The afternoon saw 272 Wisbech Squadron Air Training Corps participate in a service to dedicate a 100 year photo of the war memorial - which now hangs in the church.
This was followed by a wartime themed indoor street party where residents got to eat and sing-along with lots of enthusiastic flag waving.
It finished with a small auction of Dad’s Army memorabilia signed by members of the original cast.
Reverend Allan Landell said: “We had over 150 people attend and it went very well.
“We had various items donated from the community including photos and medals from their family members who had served in the First World War.
“Signed items from Ian Lavender, who played Pike in Dad’s Army, were also auctioned and proved very popular.”
He added: “We had a team of dedicated people who worked extremely hard in getting the church to look the way it did with poppies and impressive floral displays.
“I am very grateful to them.”
Yesterday the cadets returned to the church for the remembrance service and had a lesson on bell ringing and took part in a quiz about the First World War.
Prayers and a two minutes silence was held at the war memorial where wreaths were laid before going into the church for the remainder of the service by Reverend Allan Landall.
A beech tree was also planted to mark the historic occasion.
Restoration work on the memorial, which included cleaning, re-pointing and re-painting the letters, was carried out by JG Cross of Crowland and was funded by grants from the War Memorial Trust and Fenland District Council.
Frances Moreton, director of the War Memorials Trust, said: “War memorials are a tangible connection to our shared past creating a link between the fallen and today. It is vital we ensure all our war memorials are in the best possible condition for their age and the charity is delighted to support this project.”
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