Students revealed their final script for an ambitious school production to mark the centenary of the First World War.

Under the guidance of New Hardy Players’ Tim Laycock and Andy Worth, pupils at St Osmund’s Middle School, Dorchester read through their finished play, ‘When the Men Marched Away’.

Andy, who is the chairman of New Hardy Players, said: “I am amazed at the children’s ability and so proud to be involved.”

Students who were gifted and talented in history, writing and music were selected to participate in the creation of the production.

Caroline Pugh and Julie Lawrence, who are overseeing the project, said the pupils had been responsible for every part of the production.

“We took the historians to the Keep and the History Centre who passed the information on to the writers and composers who then passed it back to the historians for checking.

“We have had to do very little tweaking to their final script which is very impressive,” said Mrs Lawrence.

More than 40 children have been involved in researching and writing the script and composing the songs for the entire production.

Finley Wyer, 12, said “It was quite interesting trying to create the atmosphere of chaos, I would definitely like to do more composing again.”

The final play, which centres on local wartime history, will include scenes of the former Prisoner of War camp at Poundbury and the VAD (Voluntary Aid Detachment) hospital at Dorchester.

“The history was really interesting, we got to see some of the letters that were sent during the war as well as uniforms, books and pay-books,” said pupil Archie Goff, 12.

The school have contacted local businesses that were active during the war, such as Gould’s Department Store and Grassby Funeral Directors, to offer their knowledge of Dorchester’s history.

Music teacher Mrs Pugh said: “It is so much more than a school production. It will give locals in the town an opportunity to hear our historical research.”

A display of the pupil’s research will be on show at the final production and Mrs Lawrence said it was hoped that the year eight students, who will leave the school this summer, will return as local history ambassadors.

Mrs Pugh said their biggest challenge now was finding extra funding to make the production professional.

“We’ve got scenes in the trenches and are recreating the Somme so we’ll need some pyrotechnics and we’re hoping to get good lighting and sound,” she said.

Rehearsals for the play start in September and the final production will be staged in March 2018.