AS Great Britain and Germany moved toward the tragedy that was World War I, Foreign Secretary, Sir Edward Grey, commented: “The lamps are going out all over Europe, we shall not see them lit again in our lifetime.”

To commemorate the centenary of the declaration of war, the community of Hurst Green is using those words in a ‘Lights Out’ ceremony.

All of the village organisations have got together to arrange a reflective event at the village’s Memorial Hall from 9.30pm, on Monday, August 4.

It is hoped that pen pictures of all the residents of the parish of Aighton, Bailey and Chaigley, who gave their lives during the Great War, will be on show, along with other reflections of the time.

These will include readings of poems written during the war and facsimiles of pages from the Northern Daily Telegraph, which were published the day war was declared – August 4, 1914.

There will then be a candle-lit procession to the war memorial where, at 11pm, the candles will be blown out to mark the start of those dark four years.

One special candle will remain unlit on the Cenotaph until November 11, 2018, when it will be relit in honour of the fallen and to celebrate the end of the war.

Hurst Green’s war memorial bears the names of 16 men from the community who died in the conflict. Research has uncovered more details about all but two of them.

Those whose details are still missing are James Armstrong from Aighton and Richard Baker from Bailey.

They are not related to anyone living in the parish now and tracing them has proved difficult. It is thought they might have been itinerant farm workers. The villagers now appealing for anyone who can help identify who they are.

Are there any living relatives? Where did they live?

If you can help with any details, contact Francis Ahearne, the domestic bursar at Stonyhurst College by email at domestic.bursar@stonyhurst.ac.uk, or ring Gill or David Jacques on 01254 878222.