Announcing the Warwick WWI Walk

As part of its commemorations marking the centenary of the Armistice that ended the fighting in the First World War, Unlocking Warwick has announced a ‘Warwick WWI Walk’. It will be on Saturday 13th October, just four weeks before the 100th anniversary of the ceasefire.

More of a leisurely stroll than a walk, and wheelchair-friendly, the event will start in the Pageant Garden behind the Jury Street Court House at 3pm and will last about an hour. 

The Mayor of Warwick, Richard Eddy, will start the walk by reading out the proclamation of war, exactly as it happened at the Court House 100 years ago. Guides will relate how thousands of troops mustered in Warwick after the call-up, and tell of the impact on the town as the war continued for more than 4 years. 

The walk will proceed up Church Street to the War Memorial, where volunteers will tell some of the personal stories behind the names on the plaques, unearthed by a year-long research project with background information provided by local people.

Then the group will go to the Collegiate Church of St. Mary’s, home of the Royal Warwickshire Regimental Chapel, to see the spectacular display of more than 20,000 hand-made poppies, commemorating the thousands of men from the regiment who did not return from the war. 

The walk costs just £5 per person, with all proceeds going to the St. Mary’s Church Fund for repairs to the iconic tower, and the Museum of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, formerly the RWR, at St. John’s House, which is threatened with closure over a lack of income to pay the rent and maintain the building.

Get your tickets from the Visitor Information Centre in the Court House, or email Paula at warwickwalks@aol.com