The centenary commemorations for the end of World War I have begun in communities across north Wiltshire as Remembrance Day approaches.

To coincide with the launch of the Poppy Appeal, Malmesbury Branch of The Royal British Legion have laid their Field of Remembrance outside Malmesbury Abbey, with 202 crosses bearing the names of the men on the 20 war memorials in the Malmesbury Community Area. Along with 81 crosses for Malmesbury’s WW1 service personnel who died, including one woman, there are named 23 men who died in WW2, including a merchant seaman and a civilian killed by bombing in Birmingham.

Schoolchildren in Calne are creating a river of poppies, made from recycled materials, which will create a commemorative display at Beach Terrace in the centre of Calne. The poppies will each carry a name from the cenotaph at St Mary’s church or of a person connected to the child’s family, and the display will be hung by troops from Lyneham on November 1.

The Chippenham branch of the Royal British Legion is holding a concert at the Methodist Church on Monkton Hill at 7.30pm on Saturday, and will take part in special assemblies at Sheldon and Hardenhuish schools.

At Sheldon School next week, students will be having assemblies about the centenary, and the school will be haunted by ‘ghost soldiers.’ These will represent the soldiers who were last to die in the war and their stories will be revealed during the school’s Remembrance service on Friday. Hardenhuish School will have its Remembrance Service on Wednesday.

The Chippenham Museum and Heritage Centre's tapestry project with Fi Redmond, involving the town's primary and secondary schools, culminates in the launch of an exhibition on November 11, to run till Jan 26. A torch-lit procession in the High Street begins at 7pm Tuesday November 13.

Today and tomorrow artist Anya Beaumont will be working with children at Corsham Town Hall from 10.30am to 12.30pm and 1-3pm, making poppies and doves as part of the four-year Corsham Commemorates project.