SPECIAL memorial posters are to go up in homes around Otley as part of this year’s Remembrance Day commemorations.

Otley Town Council is producing some 150 posters to be displayed in the former homes of servicemen from the town who died during the First World War.

Each will feature the man’s name, a knitted poppy and a note about ‘the many men of Otley who gave their lives in the Great War 1914-1919’.

Town council Chair Councillor Ray Georgeson (Lib Dem, Danefield) said: “This beautifully simple and poignant idea was brought to my attention at the Flowers of the Field event at The Bridge Church.

“I was delighted to respond positively and the officers of the town council are in the process of producing more than 150 laminated posters to go in the windows of the Otley homes of those men who left during the First World War and never returned.

“The posters will be distributed, together with an explanatory letter, by town councillors in the coming week.

“We sincerely hope that all the current residents of these properties will respond in the spirit of the commemoration and place the posters in a window for the Armistice weekend.”

The project is just one of a number of special events that have been organised in Otley this year to mark the centenary of Armistice Day on Sunday, November 11.

Cllr Georgeson had taken his sons to the Flowers of the Field commemoration week and noted their strong reaction to the displays about the local men who had died.

He added: “When we visited the Bridge Church event I was struck by the response of my own young children to the display that showed the addresses of the fallen - streets that we are all familiar with struck a particular resonance and made an impact on them.

“I hope that the visual impact of the posters will have a similar effect and provide another everyday reminder of the extent of the town’s loss, and the continuing strong local connections through geography.

“We walk freely in the streets that they came from and never returned to. We must never forget.”

He also paid tribute to the resident who came up with the commemoration posters idea - who did not want to be identified - and the volunteers who did the research that made the initiative possible.