PUPILS from two Benarty schools took part in a special commemoration event to honour the men and women who served in the armed forces during the First World War.

The St Kenneth’s and Benarty Primary kids gave renditions of WW1 poems and songs as part of the event, which was well-attended as people came to learn more about the war heroes of the area. Dave Blane (pictured) right), who has done a lot of research for the Benarty Heritage Preservation Group who staged the event, was pleased with how the day went.

“It was well-supported both by the Benarty population and visitors from outside,” he said. “It was an excellent day - we had a visitors book with quite a lot of nice comments, starting off with the Provost of course!

“It has been a lot of hard work over the past 21 months, but it’s been worth it. I joined the Preservation Group around two years ago when I went to them to find out some information about my family, who had moved to Lochgelly. I got chatting and talked about various things to do with the military, and I was quite keen to do research. I’ve put two family projects on hold for this but it’s worth it seeing all the children and it was appreciated by the community.” The Benarty Heritage Preservation Group held the event to give people the opportunity to learn more about the role Benarty played in the war, with the community turning out to remember those who fought. Provost of Fife Jim Leishman attended the event, as did the Black Watch Association, which aims to help those who have served in its ranks.

David believes everyone had a great time, and is already back hard at work on future projects. “This has only been half the battle,” he said. “We’ve got the Benarty War Memorial at Lochore, where right now the site is getting repaired. I also go around the local schools and provide data to use for history lessons for the children.”