WARTIME memories of conflicts that changed the world were shared at a living history day in Watchet.

The event last Saturday was aimed at piecing together the stories behind the casualties of two world wars who will be commemorated on the town's new war memorial.

The scheme to site the stone structure on land close to Watchet's library on The Esplanade is being spearheaded by a group of volunteers under the banner of the Watchet Remembrance Project.

But in addition to fundraising to cover the estimated £18,000 cost of the memorial, the group has been working behind the scenes to research the stories of the 56 men whose names will be inscribed on it.

And the living history day - the first of several planned - was a chance for people to share family histories, photographs and memorabilia.

Spokesman Lin Hart said more than 50 people took part in the event, with many others just popping in to make a donation towards the memorial.

"One relative even came by bus from Ilminster," she said.

"We have received a lot of information from friends and relatives of families who also brought in personal memorabilia and related stories of relatives - some of whom did not return and whose names will be etched into the memorial."

Mrs Hart said it would take some time to collate the information but another living history day would be held in the near future.

She said many people had said how pleased they were with the chosen location of the memorial: "It would have been the last place seen by those going off to war on the train and the first for the lucky ones returning home."

The group is planning to have the memorial in place by June next year in time for the 100th anniversary of the start of World War One.

A £4,100 grant from the Government funded LARC - Local Action for Rural Communities - will pay for the area around the memorial to be refurbished, and £450 from West Somerset's ARTlife is covering the cost of the living history sessions and remembrance-themed work with pupils from Watchet's Knights Templar First School.

Photo: Steve Guscott