SCHOOLCHILDREN will be among those attending the annual Remembrance Service at Undercliffe Cemetery next week.

The service, on Friday, November 10, will be led by the Dean of Bradford, the Very Reverend Andy Bowerman and will be attended by the Lord Mayor of Bradford, Cllr Gerry Barker and a Deputy Lieutenant of West Yorkshire.

Allan Hillary, Honorary President of the Friends of Undercliffe Cemetery, said: “It is 21 years since we started holding a Remembrance service in a small way.

“Over the years we have had between 300 and 400 people attending, including children from local schools. Up to 13 schools were represented last year.

“It’s so important that children are part of this service, so that the next generation doesn’t forget the sacrifices made by those who served in the two world wars and other conflicts.”

Undercliffe Cemetery has 144 official war graves and several hundred other military graves, many of First World War servicemen buried there or remembered on family plots.

Other graves bear the names of soldiers from the Second World War and other conflicts. Volunteers have also unearthed the grave of a man who fought at the Battle of Waterloo and died aged 92.

As part of the centenary of the start of the First World War, the Friends of Undercliffe Cemetery joined forces with the British Legion, local schools, community groups and businesses to tell the stories of the Bradford Pals and other regiments.

The project, Thinking About WW1 at Undercliffe Cemetery, has recorded for future generations the details and stories of these men and women and the archive is available to look at today.

The project started in 2014 with an open day for people to share memorabilia, photographs and stories, culminating in a trail and booklet called Listen to Our Stories.

Guided tours of the historic cemetery, which are held several times a year, include talks on the military graves and war heroes. The tours also include a look at the six monuments listed by English Heritage, some of the site’s most prominent graves and special areas such as the Quaker burial plot.

* This year’s 77th Festival of Remembrance takes place at Bradford Cathedral tomorrow (Sunday November 5).

Among the guests attending will be the Lord Mayor of Bradford and other civic dignitaries.

The Festival will begin at 5pm with a welcome from the Very Rev Andy Bowerman, Dean of Bradford Cathedral, and the Lord Mayor, Cllr Barker.

There will be music from the City of Bradford Brass Band and the Bradford Cathedral Choir, and there will also be community singing, ahead of the Service of Remembrance.

Doors will open at 4.30pm and people are asked to arrive ready to be seated by 4.50pm.

The Festival of Remembrance is a free event but donations on the day are invited. Refreshments will take place following the event.

To book a place go to eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-77th-bradford-festival-of-remembrance

* The Undercliffe Cemetery Remembrance Service will take place at the Cross of Sacrifice in the cemetery on Friday, November 10 from 10.30am.

Emma Clayton