Members of the local community are being invited to help uncover the history of three military training sites in the Settle area.

Among them are two suspected trenches within the private grounds of the Giggleswick School estate that may have been used to give soldiers a taste of what life would be like when they were shipped to battlefields in Europe.

The Training and Trenches project has been awarded £7,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and the main event – the excavation of the suspected training trenches – will take place from 18-23 June. The work will involve members of the Ingleborough Archaeology Group, as well as National Park Authority experts and members from other local community groups.

James Spry, the YDNPA’s Community Archaeology Training Placement Holder and Project Manager, said: “The project will involve documentary research, a survey of the Castleberg drill hall in Settle and a firing range at the base of Attermire Scar, and the excavation. The drill hall and the firing range were used by members of the Craven Territorials, later the 1/6th Battalion of the Duke of Wellington’s (West Riding) Regiment, the Village Guard and the Giggleswick School Officer Training Crops. The trenches may have even been dug by members of the school’s Officer Training Corps before or during the war and, if the excavation and further research reveals this to be the case, it will be a poignant story as many of those schoolboy officers went on to fight and die in the war and are commemorated in the school’s chapel.

“The aim of the project is to look at the physical legacy of the First World War in Britain rather than in Europe where the battles were fought. We also want to try to find out more about the beginnings of trench warfare. We are hoping that people will contact the National Park Authority perhaps with memories of family members who were involved in the three sites or with letters, records or photographs that can shed light on their history. In addition, on 21 June there will be an open day where members of the public can come and have a look at the excavation taking place and learn more about the legacy of the Great War in the Settle region.”

Notes to editors

All Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority media releases can be viewed online by visiting Yorkshire Dales website.

The Yorkshire Dales National Park is one of 15 National Parks in the UK.

It is administered by the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, which has two main purposes: 'to conserve and enhance the natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage' and 'to promote opportunities for the understanding and enjoyment of the special qualities of the National Park'. In carrying out these purposes, the Authority has a duty 'to seek to foster the economic and social well being of local communities'. The National Park Authority comprises 22 members, made up of county and district councillors and members appointed by the Secretary of State for the Environment to represent parishes or in recognition of their specialist skills or knowledge.

HLF-funded First World War projects include:

First World War Centenary Project, IWM London
An HLF grant of £4.5m is transforming IWM London (part of Imperial War Museums) by creating new ground-breaking First World War Galleries.

Flintham Society – Keeping the Home Fires Burning?
Keep the Homes Fires Burning? is a community history project looking at the impact of the First World War on life in the Nottinghamshire village of Flintham.

Tank Museum – Access all Areas, Dorset
Holding the world’s finest tank and armoured vehicle collection, The Tank Museum is a popular visitor attraction in the heart of Dorset. HLF’s grant is being used to house 130 ‘at risk’ vehicles, putting the entire collection indoors for the first time.

Through its First World War: then and now programme, HLF is making at least £1million available per year for six years until 2019. It will provide grants between £3,000 and £10,000 enabling communities and groups right across the UK to explore, conserve and share their First World War heritage and deepen their understanding of the impact of the conflict.

To find out how to apply for funding visit our First World War: then and now programme page. If a group needs a grant of more than £10,000 for a First World War project, it can apply to HLF through its open programmes.

Follow us on twitter: @HeritageLottery, @HLFYandH, #understandingWW1.

UK Government Centenary plans
In June 2013, the Government set out its plans to mark the centenaries of the First World War commencing in 2014. These plans include a £35m refurbishment of the First World War galleries at the Imperial War Museum (IWM); the Government’s principal partners in the commemorations will be the Heritage Lottery Fund and the IWM, but will encompass support for a multitude of other initiatives, large and small, as they come together in the months and years to come.

Further information

Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority's Media Officer Nick Oldham (Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays) or the Communications Team on 01756 751 616.