Chatteris primary school children do their bit for Remembrance day

Kingsfield Primary School children. (Image: Archant)

Year 6 at Kingsfield Primary School, Chatteris, performed readings, poems and songs at the Royal British Legion’s Remembrance Concert in St Peter’s Church on Saturday.

The 11th Battalion, Suffolk Regiment. (Image: Archant)

This weekend 47 pupils will take part in the town’s Remembrance Sunday parade, where they will place a wreath by the war memorial.

They will then place crosses with poppies at the graves of all those killed in the war who are buried in the local graveyards.

The children have also stitched together a patchwork commemorating the 11th Battalion, Suffolk Regiment, known as “the Cambridgeshire Pals Battalion”, which included a contingent from Chatteris.

The regiment suffered devastating losses on the first day of the battle of the Somme in 1916.

Within a few hours, 691 of the 850 in the battalion were either killed, missing or wounded.

Six soldiers from Chatteris are known to have died on that day.

The patchwork is the centrepiece of the annual Royal British Legion display in the window of Maxey Grounds estate agency.

The youngsters are taking part in “Chatteris Remembers”, a project that has won a £34,700 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Rhys Davies, one of the teachers leading the project, said: “The children have got very involved and done some great work already.

“It has really brought home to them what local people went through.

“We’ll be carrying the project on through the year – and maybe all our activities will give other people ideas for things they could do, too.”

Gordon Phillips, the project coordinator, said: “We have gained a great deal of knowledge so far.

“We would still like to hear from anyone with stories, photographs, letters or other information on Chatteris soldiers during the war. Email chatterisremembers@gmail.com or call 01354 692323.”