Battle of the Somme commemoration

Club members were involved with a commemoration of five people from the Heatons who died at the Battle of the Somme in 1916. This told the story of each of them, how they came to be in the battle and how they died. It was beautifully put together, with a bit of dramatisation, a factual history of events, and a sing-song which everyone joined in at the end. There was an appearance by a group of nurses of the time, various men who were recruited into the army, and two French ladies of ill-repute also turned up. Clyde led the evening, Sergeant-major Bob put the recruits through their paces, Neil recalled the historical facts and John provided sound and visuals to bring it all together. We were treated to a display of tango dancing, and the tea-ladies served bully-beef, hard-tack and cups of tea, as the soldiers would have eaten.