Stories of the Wiltshire soldiers who took part in the opening battles of the First World War have been told on film by a group of young Malmesbury friends.

They have striven to capture the essence of early encounters of the Great War after being awarded £10,000 National Lottery funding for the project.

Their tale of two battles in August 1914 saw the five-strong crew calling themselves The Flying Monks spend a week filming in Belgium and France exactly 100 years after the events depicted.

They interviewed relatives of those who fought, filmed battle sites and followed a group of Wiltshire Scouts as they retraced the footsteps of ‘Our Boys’ from a century ago. Their film tells the story of the fighting at Mons in Belgium and Le Cateau in northern France, following the actions of 1st Battalion Wiltshire Regiment.

The 50-minute documentary will have its premiere in Malmesbury on February 5, during an evening devoted to the early days of the war.

It was directed by former Malmesbury School student Daniel McAleavy, 26, who applied for the National Lottery grant for the three-month project.

Friends Sidney Robb and Tristan Green presented and narrated the film while Finn Mewton and Steve Morris operated the cameras.

Mr McAleavy had always been interested in film-making and the centenary of the war opened the door to Lottery funds.

He said: “Wiltshire soldiers were part of the British Expeditionary Force sent to Belgium on the outbreak of war.

“At Mons, they encountered a massive German army and fierce fighting began.

“The British forces retreated to Le Cateau, where another important battle took place.

“These were the very first British military clashes of the war. We were there in August, exactly 100 years after it all took place.

“Some of the interviews we did and the things we filmed were really poignant,” added Mr McAleavy.

The 10th Chippenham Air Scouts and Chippenham Endeavour Explorer Scouts were also there to retrace the 40-mile march from Mons to Le Cateau.

Malmesbury actress Sidney Robb, 30, who narrated the documentary, said the Scouts’ trek – which was coincidental – became a key part of the film.

She said: “We are telling three stories; that of the men of the 1st Wiltshires who took part, the general horror of the first British action in the war, and the Scouts who went to Belgium and France to re-enact the soldiers’ march a century later.”

From Mons To Le Cateau will be shown at Malmesbury Town Hall at 7pm on February 5.

It will be followed by a talk by historian Charles Vernon. Tickets are £7 from the Athelstan Museum.