STAFF and students from The Skipton Academy will recreate the send-off that the first recruits from Settle received 100 years to the day after they departed for the Great War.

Among those attending the re-enactment at Settle Railway Station will be Eastburn resident Dennis Maunders, 90, whose father, Robert Henry Maunders, was one of the first Craven men to enlist.

From Selside, Robert fought in the 10th Battalion, Duke of Wellington’s (West Riding) Regiment and rose to the rank of sergeant. He was stationed in both France and Italy and was wounded twice during the war, sustaining injuries to his neck and leg.

Also present at Sunday's event will be Henry Bolton whose uncle was one the officers and to whom Geraldine Tunstill, wife of Craven recruiting campaigner Harry Gilbert Tunstill, passed a photo album with images of the recruitment drive and send-off at Settle station.

Other guests will include the relatives of further recruits, Settle mayor Ian Robinson and the Skipton Royal British Legion Band.

And the event marks the conclusion of a series of special performances of the acclaimed production, Tunstill’s Men, which tells the true story of Mr Tunstill and his recruitment campaign.

Actors from the Skipton Academy are currently travelling around Craven re-enacting events 100 years to the day in the exact locations where local men were recruited.

The series is part of the Craven and the First World War project, which has been funded by the Heritage Lottery and aims to build a greater understanding of life in Craven during the conflict.

Performances have already been held in Settle and Grasington and there will be further re-enactments in the grounds of Skipton Castle tomorrow and Saturday.

The audience should meet at Holy Trinity Church at 5.30pm before moving into the castle grounds where the new recruits will embark on their journey from the recruitment meetings in Craven to the battlefields of France.

Tickets cost £2.50 for adults and £1.50 for children and are available from Settle’s Victoria Hall on 01729 825718 or from the Skipton Tourist Information Centre.