TEN silhouettes representing soldiers who failed to return from World War One are currently on display at Hanley Castle High School.

The school, which was then a grammar school, lost 26 former pupils during the war, many of them residents of the village or of nearby Upton

The silhouettes, funded by the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust, are part of a nationwide installation of shadow soldiers who should have returned after the end of the war in 1918.

The school will use the silhouettes in its centenary event on Friday, November 9, when every lesson will explore a different facet of the conflict.

For this event, the school is inviting relatives of students or staff who are currently serving in the armed forces, or are veterans, to join an informal meet-and-greet at lunchtime so students can show appreciation of the armed forces.

The week leading up to this day is a Peace Week to acknowledge the need for reconciliation and the concept of peace.

Head Lindsey Cooke said: "There is something very poignant about the silhouettes. Their presence around school is an important reminder of the tragic consequences of war and the need, more urgent now than ever, to work for peace and reconciliation in our fractured world.

"Hanley Castle High School is acutely aware of the debt we owe to those who made the ultimate sacrifice, and of our responsibility to prevent such suffering in the future.’

"I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who have helped in organising this event, including the Armed Forces Covenant Trust and the Malvern Quakers."

If you would like to help support our centenary event - in particular if you are an active member of the armed forces or a veteran in the local community - contact halforde@hanleycastlehs.org.uk.