AN open air play commemorating the centenary of the start of the First World War attracted an audience of around 200 people in Bewdley on Monday, August 4.

The production, which was written by former Mayor of Kidderminster and current Wyre Forest district councillor Nigel Knowles, told the story of the fictitious Smith family in the final hour before Britain prepared to go to war.

Bewdley 4 August 1914 was played by a cast of amateur performers and took place at the Green Theatre in Jubilee Gardens.

Mr Knowles, who has written 29 books and seven plays, said: “I wanted to show how the events of 1914 affected a typical ordinary family, whose lives would inevitably be changed by events over which they had no control.

“Although it is a historic drama the events resonate today as conflicts continue throughout the world and British servicemen and women still find themselves on the frontline.”

The one-hour long play focused on discussions in the Smith household as the father, mother and their four children talked about their feelings and views on the impending fighting.

Bewdley Town Council and Wyre Forest District Council, which has made Mr Knowles its official armed forces champion, supported the event.