A SERIES of unique First World War commemoration events have been designed by a Whitchurch resident, with the first going off with a bang next weekend.

Graham Burgess is looking to connect the past with the present across different themes from the war in a project named Serving The People, dedicated to the 64 soldiers from Whitchurch who died in the conflict.

On Sunday, August 19, the first of 13 gatherings will take place at The Weir where five firework bangs will be set off at 11am to remember each individual soldier.

A further 12 of these gatherings will take place at different locations in the lead up to Remembrance Day, ending at All Hallows Church on November 11 where four bangs will be heard and church bells will ring.

Graham said: “The groups who press the buttons will reflect the richness of our community and on a basic level we will be saying thank you to all who have invested in many ways in what we have.

“My bangs only last one minute but 16,000 people would have died in that minute.

“I’m hoping to enrich people’s lives into what we have got and why. There’s lots of stories coming out from different people that comes about from getting people together, and that is what it is all about.”

Other elements of remembering the First World War will also come into play such as a OXO cubes being delivered in a historic Thornycroft vehicle, and a special meal based on wartime ingredients on November 4, with the menu provided by Basingstoke College of Technology.

An exhibition will also be held on November 10 and 11 where the stories each of the Whitchurch soldiers will be on display.

In a remembrance project that thinks outside the box, Graham is also arranging for pigeons, which were used to carry messages during the war, to re-enact their duties in special journeys starting from the Silk Mill grounds.

Graham said his plans are inspired from the poem Heredity by Thomas Hardy, and is looking for other Whitchurch residents to get involved and take part in upcoming events.

The garden designer added: “We are still looking for volunteers to help in our searches for appropriate stories.

“Just listening and hearing and then thinking about what we have inherited is something anyone can do each week from Aug 19 to November 11.”

To volunteer to help Graham, call 01256 892837 or email graham@gyrdan.demon.co.uk.