On display to MPs, peers and guests were boxes full of vegetables grown in a First World War-style allotment from a project looking at how vital food production became during the War; a puppet of a Sikh soldier created by primary school children to show the contribution of soldiers from India; and an antique suitcase full of the personal belongings of Pt Ted Ambrose who died during the war.  It was recently unearthed perfectly preserved despite being buried 97 years ago by his mother who struggled to come to terms with her loss.

Speaking at the event, Dan spoke about the people he was been talking to around the country about their personal connections to the War.  He added:  “The First World War touched the lives of everyone in Britain, and everyone around the world”

[quote=Andrew Murrison]HLF is lighting up the history of the First World War period[/quote]

The event, hosted by Andrew Murrison MP, the Prime Minister’s special representative for the Centenary Commemoration of the First World War, outlined the wide range of stories people are exploring and sharing. It also launched the Historypin Centenary Hub, a free online space for people to share historical and contemporary photographs, films and sounds being collected to mark the Centenary of the First World War.

Dan Jarvis MP, the Labour Party lead on the First World War commemorations, said: “if you look at the diversity of the different projects represented here today, it’s a reminder to all of us that the story of the First World War reaches far beyond the poppy fields of Flanders”. He continued to say how interested people are in learning more about the war, and how it affected their lives today.

Carole Souter, Chief Executive of HLF, said: “In 1914, for five years, the whole country went to war.  Now, 100 years on we are seeing that - thanks in part to more than £60million of National Lottery funding - it is possible for the whole of the UK to come together to discover the stories of the First World War and ensure they better understood, and never forgotten”.