Fabrica Gallery, in partnership with Strike a Light and Brighton & Hove Library Services, has received a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for ‘The Boys on the Plaque’ project. Awarded through HLF’s ‘First World War: Then and Now’ programme (which has invested more than £70million in projects that are marking the global centenary of the Great War) the project will highlight a recently uncovered WWI memorial plaque situated in the former Holy Trinity Church which houses Fabrica gallery.

Supported by a team of archivists, artists and historians, the local community will come together through research, creative activities and heritage events to discover the hidden histories of the 95 soldiers commemorated on the plaque and consider the personal experiences of ordinary people during the war. A team of volunteers will receive training and will access local archives to research and collect the stories of The Boys on the Plaque through genealogy, photographs, newspaper clippings, documents, letters and photos of keepsakes, as well as family tales passed down, to help them build an understanding of what life was really like during this time. Activities with local older and younger groups will use creativity and reminiscence to further explore these experiences and create new legacies for our local history. A series of free Conversation Cafés will take place from October 2015 to which participants are welcome, along with members of The University of the Third Age Brighton and Hove, who, through outings, talks and events, will explore local knowledge, personal mementos and family history through discussion and shared discovery. Younger people will connect to the personal histories of The Boys on the Plaque at creative graffiti workshops, considering memorium and identity through contemporary practice.

A range of public events for all ages will share what is found and provide opportunities for the local community to come together to remember and learn more about the First World War.

The Boys on the Plaque represent so many of the sons, brothers, fathers and uncles who fought and fell in the First World War, and this project will pay tribute to these men by telling their stories and considering the wider impact on the local community.

For further information, contact Clare Hankinson, Project Manager Fabrica
40 Duke Street, BN1 AGH, 01273 778646