A FIRST World War enthusiast will be turning two villages red with poppies in the run up to Remembrance Sunday.

Rod Eggington has delved in to Penton Mewsey and Penton Grafton’s past to create a poppy walk to remember those who lost their lives in the Great War.

Poppies will be placed at locations throughout the villages to form a trail for residents and visitors to follow.

The trail comes four years after Rod held an exhibition in the village hall to mark 100 years since the start of the war.

“Everybody kept saying ‘we missed it’ or ‘can you do it again and bring it up to date’, and since then I have found out a lot more stuff and the more we do the more people tell me,” he said.

“But then I thought it would be good to do something different as well as doing the exhibition for two days and decided I would look at where people lived.”

Through records, earlier investigation and talks with older residents he placed over a dozen soldiers and casualties of war to houses in the villages.

“When I spoke to those living in the houses now about putting a poppy up nobody hesitated, they all said it was a good idea and a lot didn’t know about the history.”

Airman who also lost their lives during the war will be included in the trail as visitors will be able to discover a dedicated corner of the Holy Trinity Parish Church graveyard.

“The idea is to get people out and walking, and when they go to the house there will be a number on a poppy and on the map there will be a piece about the person who lived there and how they died.”

Rod’s passion for the war was lit during his exploration into his family history and discovered that he had an uncle who died in the Battle of the Somme.

“It has been around 15 years since I started and began by looking at the memorial in the church and wrote a book about those who died in the village.”

All money raised through the exhibition in Penton Mewsey Village Hall and the sale of the maps will be donated to the Royal British Legion.

Maps cost £1 and can be bought from the hall during the display on November 3 and 4, between 10am and 4pm, with the poppies on display for at least two weeks after.