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Bond Bryan’s main headquarters, The Church Studio in Sheffield, is steeped in history spanning back to its creation in 1908. Part of its history is intrinsically linked to its surroundings, and as such that history spans back to The Great War.

Sitting on a sloping hill, the former Crookes Congregational Church borders Western Road and is enclosed by the Western Road Memorial Trees – planted in 1919 to honour the soldiers who were ex-pupils of the former Western Road Council School that fought in World War 1.

Embedded into the wall of The Church Studio is a stone plaque that reads “The trees in Western Road and Elliot Street were planted in grateful appreciation of the part taken by former pupils of this school in The Great War 1914 – 1919”. Working in tandem, the plaque and trees symbolise the rememberance of the fallen – through a vow to ‘never forget’ set in stone, and the growth of new life born from the sacrifice of the dead.

Placed above the stone tablet by Bond Bryan are a collection of silent silhouettes – created as a memorial to those lost in the war and a way to say ‘Thank You’ to the Lost Generation.

On Sunday the 11th, 100 years after the end of all that bloodshed, there will be a procession of 64 homemade willow lanterns from Wesley Hall, through Crookes to Western Road at 16:30. An avenue of light will be created by the procession as they place their lanterns under the memorial trees planted down the street.

After this, the procession will gather at the memorial plaque embedded in Bond Bryan’s Church Studio at 17:00 to have a short ceremony, including the reading of the 64 fallen soldiers’ names, some poetry and a song.