A SCHOOL home to one of the UK’s oldest First World War memorials has been awarded £10,000 to discover more about the 18 former pupils it honours.

In March 1918, Joseph Backhouse, headteacher of Wolsingham School in Weardale, planted 12 saplings in memory of pupils who had lost their lives in the Great War. By the time the war ended in November of that year, six more saplings had been planted. Over years, the young trees grew into mighty oaks, and they remain a living memorial and poignant reminder of the high cost of war.

Every year, the Memorial Oak Trees are the focus of the school’s annual Remembrance Service. And in their centenary year staff, pupils and the community are embarking on a major project to discover more about the 18 ‘Old Boys’ represented by the trees, believed to be the first tribute to the conflict in the country.

The Heritage Lottery Fund has awarded the school £10,000 for the project, which has been named A Community Commemoration of our Living Tribute to Our Fallen.

It wills see youngsters work alongside archivists from Durham County Records Office, along with experts from Durham at War and local history groups, to uncover more about the men’s lives. Pupils will interview descendants and members of the community and collect memories, stories and photographs for a refurbished memorabilia room. A visual timeline will also be produced to build up a clear picture of what life was really like at the time.

The funding will also allow the school to design and install new informative tree plaques for each of the 18 fallen soldiers, as well as ceramic plaques to be located at their birthplaces.

Kate Morris, acting headteacher at Wolsingham School, said: “We’re delighted that we’ve received this support thanks to the National Lottery players. It will be exciting to see what the research reveals about our former pupils and what was happening around Weardale at the time.”

The information gathered during the project will be uploaded to an online interactive archive where everyone can access and contribute information.

It is hoped this will encourage the public to discuss, contribute, share and research information about the Home Front in Weardale.