PRIMARY School children around the area have been commemorating and remembering the fallen soldiers of the First and Second World Wars.

During Ghyll Royd School’s Poppy Week, children learnt about a number of individual efforts by servicemen whilst remembering the sacrifices made by so many people 100 years ago.

Year 4 teacher Mr Richard Laycock is Ghyll Royd’s resident history expert and had children enthralled with his stories and knowledge of the World Wars.

Children in Years 3 and 4 found out about local Addingham soldier Thomas Ashton and were able to pinpoint where he grew up, where else in he lived in the village and the battles he fought in.

They mapped out his life and time in the Great War before writing letters to him which they left alongside a wreath at Addingham’s War Memorial.

Year 6 pupils wrote beautiful war poems which featured creations including a different take on Rudyard Kipling’s ‘My Boy Jack’, a story of why we must always remember and a dramatic, emotive poem about a soldier’s last step. The poems were taken up to Burley-in-Wharfedale’s memorial to be read around the cenotaph before the class observed a two-minute silence.

Ghyll Royd School pupils are in charge of replanting in the flower tubs by the memorial. Year 6 visited the previous week to make the tubs look fresh in time for the Remembrance Services.

Beavers, Brownies, Rainbows, Cubs and Guides worked with the children of Burley Oaks Primary School, Burley Nursery, Jolly Tots, Hayley Price Childminder and the ladies of Open Door to create fabulous poppy tributes and silhouettes of soliders to represent those who did not come home and are from the project There, Not There.

The uniformed organisations were well represented at the act of Remembrance in Burley on Sunday and much praised for their behaviour.