At The Going Down of the Sun - Hathersage

As part of the village commemoration of the hundredth anniversary of the 1918 Armistice, the Hathersage Branch of the Royal British Legion promoted two events in the Hathersage Memorial Hall – a building erected in the 1920s as a memorial to those from the parish who gave their lives during or served in the 1914-18 conflict – and a third event, a Centenary Memorial installation in the recently opened ‘Heart for Hathersage’. These commemorative events were: 1) A live presentation of drama, words, music and images which reflected the thoughts of those who experienced the conflict and of their families at home, as well as aspects of its consequences for the community of Hathersage. The evening’s performance, entitled ‘At the Going Down of the Sun …’ was in two parts; each culminating in a short one-act play written by two playwrights who had fought in the conflict. These were: “Shells”, by Lawrence du Garde Peach and “Black ‘Ell”, by Miles Malleson. The script and accompanying presentations were devised and written by a member of the RBL Branch, with the plays directed and performed by members of the Hathersage Players. 2) An exhibition of photographs, documents, memorabilia and artifacts contributed and assembled by residents of Hathersage village, which again reflected the part played by the village and its community during the conflict. There were personal letters, diaries and photographs, medal displays, a recreated 'Tommy' in full battledress and many other fascinating items on display. A map of the village in 1918 was produced to compare with a map of today, in addition to a map of Northern France showing the cemeteries where those from the local area who lost their lives are now remembered. Pictorial panels specially designed for the occasion also featured particular individuals or narratives including the local Doctors, Hathersage schools and many other organisations that were part of the village during 1914-18. One set of panels told the story of Hathersage Hospital, set up early in the war to accommodate recuperating wounded soldiers. Over 450 people looked round the exhibition over the weekend. 3) At the centre of the village over a period of three weeks, a Centenary memorial installation was placed to honour the 101 men from Hathersage and the surrounding villages who died in the conflict. The memorial design drew inspiration from trench warfare that proved to be a dominant feature of the Great War. A replica trench was made from found timbers, corrugated iron sheets, sandbags and rusted barbed wire, which then formed the backdrop for 101 specially hand-crafted poppies with the name and age of each man remembered. Interpretation panels around the memorial provided local and battlefield context. The memorial was created with the help of a wide number of the village community, and it attracted many visitors and formed a feature on BBC Look North TV. Alongside this memorial the children of Hathersage Primary School contributed their own display of individually made poppies set within the surrounding landscape. Collectively, these projects brought together groups and individuals from throughout the village of all ages. Volunteers gave up time to help stage the events with great interest, support and appreciation given by the wider community. All monetary donations made went to the Hathersage Branch of the Royal British Legion.