THE spotlight has fallen upon a village playing field as part of a national First World War centenary commemoration.

The Fields in Trust group highlighted the story behind the St Briavels war memorial and playing fields on their website in tribute to those who fell in the conflict.

And fittingly, they did so on the day that the reborn village cricket club secured the league title at the ground in its last match of the season – something that would have brought a smile to the face of its famous cricketing son, Billy Midwinter. Billy was born in St Briavels in 1851 and was unique for being the only man to play for both England and Australia against each other.

The site was designated a Fields in Trust Centenary Field and protected as public green space in perpetuity as part of the Centenary Fields Legacy Programme, in honour of those who lost their lives and the wider First World War generation.

Fields in Trust started to reveal the story of one Centenary Field each day in an online interactive map from August 8 in its ‘last 100 days’ project, and featured St Briavels on Saturday, September 1, where the memory of the 18 men from the parish who fell in the two world wars is honoured.

It will run to the centenary of the end of WWI on Armistice Day, November 11.

St Briavels Parish Council chairman Cllr Piers Chivers said: “We are delighted to participate in the Fields in Trust Centenary Fields programme to publicly demonstrate our gratitude to the World War I generation in this unique way.

“Protecting St Briavels’ War Memorial and Playing Fields means our local community will always have somewhere for play, for sport – or a quiet moment of reflection – and we are pleased to mark the protection of parks and green spaces across the UK in this, the final year of WWI centenary commemorations.”

Fields in Trust chief executive Helen Griffiths said: “I congratulate St Briavels Parish Council for being selected as part of our last 100 days showcase project.

“St Briavels Playing Field is now included forever in our national programme to commemorate the centenary of World War I. This dedicated space is not only in memory of the sacrifices of those who gave their lives during the conflict, but also to ensure that future generations have valuable green space to enjoy as a living legacy.”

Bought by the parish council in 1953 and 1955, the fields have been leased to and managed by the War Memorial and Playing Fields Committee since 1967.

They provide the community with facilities for sport and recreation, including football and cricket, a tennis court, play area and pavilion which has a large function room, kitchen and changing facilities. The pavilion is open most evenings for community events and the monthly local produce market, while the space is also used for the annual carnival, bonfire night and apple day.

Access to the fields is provided by a pair of memorial gates which were erected after the Second World War. A plaque to the left reads: “These gates were erected as a memorial to those who gave their lives in the two World Wars 1914-1918 and 1939-1945.”

A further plaque to the right of the gates, which is sited above the Centenary Fields plaque, includes the names of the 15 men from the parish who fell during World War I and the three who fell during World War II.

The Centenary Fields legacy programme is delivered in partnership with the Royal British Legion’s “Thank You” project highlighting the nation’s gratitude to the First World War generation.