Longridge is a small town and civil parish in the borough of Ribble Valley in Lancashire, England. It is situated 8 miles northeast of the city of Preston and 33 miles northeast of Liverpool. Nearly 100 men from the community fell during the Great War. They were remembered throughout the fall of 2018.
For the 100th Anniversary of Armistice Day, the schools of Longridge organized the largest and most elaborate community commemoration that has come to our attention. Under the leadership of Head Teacher Simon Wallis, over 700 primary and secondary students and over 100 staff from 15 schools participated. One hundred distinctive black cut-out wooden figures were distributed around the village forming “The Ghost Soldiers' Silent March” to raise awareness of the centenary of the war's end. At the same time, 25,000 red poppies were knitted for the final remembrance ceremony on Armistice Day.
Organizer Simon Wallis (above photo, top right) and his team saw every possible educational and artistic method was incorporated into the program. The preparations lasted through the students' 2018 fall term and culminated in two sold-out performances at the Preston Guild Hall on 11 November of a World War I pageant titled "Armistice: The Great War Remembered."
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| An outstanding two-disk DVD recording of the entire presentation is available for $20.00 (US). Email head@longridge.lancs.sch.uk for ordering details |
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| Remembrance Ceremony |
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