Picture sparks Shropshire 'war horse' parade
A parade of horses will take place in a Shropshire town as part of the commemorations to mark the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War.
The idea for the parade came about after civic chiefs in Ludlow found a photograph of genuine war horses on show in the town in 1914.
The photograph was taken four days after the outbreak of The Great War on August 8, 1914.
It shows a mounted soldier filing past the old Ludlow Town Hall, opposite the Castle Lodge, on a rain-soaked day, with Ludlow Castle in the background.
Ludlow Town Clerk Gina Wilding said: "We decided another horse parade would be a good way of remembering the war and have spoken to members of Ludlow Hunt who are very keen on progessing the idea. They have a carriage which could be used in the procession, probably to carry the mayor. There will have to be road closures and we won't be able to have a market that day as the space will be needed, even though it will be a relatively small parade. The plan is to have it in 2015 although no date has been set yet.
More immediately, a commemorative service will be held at St Laurence's Church in the town on August 3 which Ludlow Mayor Councillor Jim Smithers and other members of the town council are expected to attend. The service will be led by team rector The Venerable Colin Williams and a parade is expected to proceed the service.
An event is also planned to mark the centenary of Henley Road Cemetery in Ludlow which contains the graves of about five people who fell in the First World War.
Mrs Wilding said it was also planned to put the town's war boards on display in the Guild Hall. The 28 boards list the names of everyone from Ludlow who fought in the Great War, four of them carrying the names of those who died in the conflict.
The boards are currently in storage but Ludlow Town Council is to restore them to their former glory at a cost of about £5,000.
