Abbots Langley History Society is keen to hear from people to help them trace those men and women in the village who served throughout the Great War.

The organisation, which promotes the heritage of Abbots Langley, has been working for the past five years on the Back to the Front project, which will organise celebrations to mark the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War in August 2014.

Watford Observer: History society

While 93 men are recorded on the village War Memorial, the project has already traced over 400 more men and women from the Parish who served and returned.

Roger Yapp, chairman of the society and project leader, said: "These people gave up a large chunk of their lives for other people in the country.

"I think it is important to remember them."

The project aims to bring together a number of organisations in the village under the banner of Back to the Front to co-ordinate and plan the village’s commemorations between 2014 and 2018.

Since 2008 they have been researching the people from Abbots Langley and surrounding areas, who served during the Great War to build up background information about each man and woman.

Ideas for celebrations include musical and theatre events, talks, a history society archive day and an Abbots Langley Pilgrimage.

As well as this, the project also intends to re-create the Village Roll of Honour - a red leather bound book that recorded all of those serving which was displayed in St Lawrence Church throughout the War, which disappeared sometime during the past hundred years.

The book will be re-created and information will be published on a new website.

Mr Yapp said: "We have had people as far as Canada and Australia contact with information and pictures to help complete the picture.

"We had lots of men and women from the village that went to Canada in the early 20th century to work on developing the land.

"They then either fought in Canada or returned to Abbots Langley."

As part of the project, members have visited battlefields in France and Belgium to record details of the headstones and memorials of each of the fallen.

Service Records and Census Records at the National Archives have also been researched.

Mr Yapp now hopes he can bring residents and community groups on board to help with five years of commemorations.

The chairman of 20 years said: "The time is now right to start to bring together the other organisations from the village and local area which have similar interests and objectives, to make sure that we have a co-ordinated approach, and bring the community together."

The "Back to the Front" Project are asking to hear from anyone who has any information - photos, letters, postcards, relics, diaries - from men and women who served in the Great War from Abbots and Kings Langley, Hunton Bridge and Leavesden.

For more information email backtothefront@hotmail.co.uk.