The first in a planned series of short pieces, the combined effort of two members of the project, Isobel Stirk and Graham Taylor.
The pieces are based on one of the displays in our end-of-project exhibition, “From Farnhill to the Front”, showing how the experiences of the Farnhill WW1 Volunteers were reflected in the iconic poetry of the war period, the work of the so-called War Poets.
Article – Calm before the storm
The two-year Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) funding for the Farnhill WW1 Volunteers Project concluded at the end of December 2018.
In the past two years, members of the project have achieved far more than any of us thought we would (or even could). A full report on our activities during that period has been prepared for the HLF. The research, events, website, and the permanent archive indicate that our time (and Lottery funds) have been well spent.
The end of funding does not mean the end of the project. There are a number of research strands that will continue:
The story of how the Kildwick War memorial came to be erected.
A slideshow of the war memorial, including details of the men named on it, is available from the Farnhill & Kildwick Local History Group website.
Article – Kildwick War Memorial
A start has been made uploading family trees for the Farnhill WW1 Volunteers, with the rest to follow in the next few days.
These are not only interesting for their own sakes, but they also show the way in which the WW1 Volunteers were connected – often with deep family ties, reflecting a tightly-knit village community.
See the Volunteer family trees page.
The Farnhill WW1 Volunteers Project has very deliberately restricted its research efforts to the 68 men whose names appear on the Farnhill Parish Council Roll of Honour.
However during the course of the project we have come across the names of other local men who served during WW1 whose stories deserve to be told.
Article – Missing volunteers & other men who served
During the course of our project the Farnhill Methodist Chapel WW1 Roll of Honour, previous thought to be lost, was given to us. We set about raising funds for the conservation and digital restoration of the Roll which, after 100 years, was in clear need of professional attention.
You can read an article describing the conservation and restoration process.
A slideshow showing the process is also available.
Postcards were the text messages of their day and, throughout the war, Percy Walmsley collected the postcards sent to him from home as well as those he sent home from France. These were gather together into an album and loaned to the project by his grand-daughter, Kath Whitton.
This gallery shows these postcards, photographed in-situ, without removing them from the album.
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Two years of research has enabled us to produce biographies for all 68 men whose names appeared on the 1916 Farnhill Parish Council Roll of Honour.
Today these are published on the Biographies & photographs page.
After many months of work, the digitally restored Farnhill Methodist WW1 Roll of Honour was unveiled during our exhibition “From Farnhill to the Front” on Saturday 10th November 2018.
Here’s a close-up:
The digitally restored roll will be mounted, in an oak frame with UV-filter glass, in the Main Hall of the Institute in due course.
The conserved original is now on permanent loan to the North Yorkshire County Archive in Northallerton.
Below, just a few of the photographs taken during our “From Farnhill to the Front” exhibition on Saturday 10th November 2018.
We had a great turn-out:
People enjoyed the slideshow:
We had displays of artefacts loaned to the project:
Upstairs, more displays and room for a coffee and a chat:
The Knitwick and Yarnhill poppy waterfall made an impressive sight:
The digitally restored Farnhill Methodist Chapel Roll of Honour was unveiled and on display throughout the day. (It will be framed and put on permanent display in the Institute.)
But amongst all the fun and chatter, there was always remembrance, commemoration and an appreciation of sacrifices made. Lest we forget.
