1914 Posters Appear all Over Colne Town Centre
CENTURY old posters have mysteriously appeared all over Colne Town Centre thisweek. Two shops in the Precinct have been plastered with posters from top to bottom.
The reproductions of original recruitment posts range from the jocular, “Say, you’d look good in khaki!” to the rather more sinister, “There are some who hear the call and obey, there are some who delay and there are the others… which are you?”.
Colne Town Council Events Committee Chair, Cllr. Dorothy Lord explains: “We are attempting to recreate the feel our town had one hundred years ago. In those days, without television, or the Internet, or even radio, posters were the number one way of communicating, apart from newspapers, of course!”
“All of this is prior to the biggest event we have ever staged: Colne Commemorates the Great War” on Saturday, August, 2nd.”
The Town Council has its own web site where further details of the day’s events can be seen: www.new.colnetowncouncil.org.uk
In addition, the Events Committee has been active on Facebook and Twitter and a Facebook Event page has been created.
We can now reveal that The Gables (behind the War Memorial) will play host to the recreation of an authentic Recruitment Hall. Every hour, “new recruits” will be sought and then put through their paces by Tommies from Lancashire Museums Service. In keeping with the real recruitment events of the time, there will be dancing and the singing of patriotic songs designed to encourage men to sign up.
Amateur dramatics groups will flood the town with century old memories at indoor and outdoor venues all over Colne throughout the day. The day formally begins with a veterans’ and cadets’ parade, which will form up at The British Legion at 9.45 a.m. and march with the Accrington Pipe Band to Colne’s War Memorial where a short service will be held.
In addition, The Little Theatre will be taken over all day as a venue for short talks and films about The Great War, whilst The Hippodrome will be requisitioned as a trench experience and medical clearing station. The Town Council is even recreating its canteen for those left behind with the original menu in a marquee outside the Market.
Media Contact: Cllr. Sarah Cockburn-Price [email protected] 01282 868008
