Penallt War Memorial Fund has been given a large grant to restore the First World War memorial in the

village.

The fund group was set up in 2012 by two local men, Peter Garwood and John O'Brien, and has just received £3,700 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).

Awarded through Heritage Lottery Fund's First World War: Then and Now programme, the project will focus on restoring the memorial and remedying any damage that it has suffered in the last 90 years.

It will also look to provide a comprehensive research programme about the lives of the men who served from the village of Penallt in the First World War.

To mark the

centenary of the First World War, the project will enable villagers to come together to preserve the memories and heritage of the people of Penallt who lived through the First World War.

Volunteers will collect photographs, newspaper clippings, documents, letters and photos of keepsakes, as well as family tales passed down, to help them build a clear picture of what life was really like at the time of the First World War.

The war memorial was originally built using donations, subscriptions and fundraising by the villagers after the conflict.

"We are thrilled to have received the support of the Heritage Lottery Fund and look forward to seeing the war memorial at Penallt restored to it former glory," said Peter Garwood and John O'Brien.

"It sits at a central point in the village and is a well known landmark.

"We owe these men to whom this memorial was dedicated, a debt of gratitude for the hardship and loss they and their families suffered during that conflict."

The memorial was unveiled by a famous Scotsman, the Mackintosh of Mackintosh on 12th March 1921.

It is hoped the research gathered will enable the community of Penallt to preserve the memory of those villagers lost in the war for generations to come.

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Organisers want schools to have a unique local history project for children to study, and the opportunity to learn about the memorial and those men for whom it was dedicated in 1921.

With help from professionals, the information gathered will be digitally recorded and a copy of all material found will be deposited in Gwent Archives, Monmouth Museum, Royal Monmouth  Royal Engineers Museum, Monmouth library and in local schools.

It is hoped that the archive will be created and expanded so that everyone can access and contribute information.

The archive will allow the public to discuss, contribute, share and research information about the Home Front. It will act as an educational source as well as a form of remembrance and gratitude dedicated to the considerable number of villagers who fought for King and country.

Explaining the importance of the HLF support, the head of the fund in  Wales,  Jennifer Stewart, said: "The impact of the First World War was far reaching, touching and shaping every corner of the UK and beyond. The Heritage Lottery Fund has already invested more than £35million in projects, large and small, that are marking this global centenary.

"With our new small grants programme, we are enabling even more communities like those involved in Penallt War Memorial Fund, to explore the continuing legacy of this conflict and help local young people in particular to broaden their understanding of how it has shaped our modern world."