TIME will turn back 100 years in Abingdon town centre for the headline event of a heritage week.

On Saturday, the Market Place will host the recreation of a peace parade staged in the town in 1919, to celebrate the homecoming of First World War personnel.

Led by Abingdon Town Band, they will set off from at The Charter at midday, following a route along Bury Street and to Market Place, where there will be an address from Mayor of Abingdon Charlie Birks.

Spectators will be able to experience food and songs from the era, see costumes that were typical of the time, and view a cinema screening of footage from the original parade.

The heritage day is the culmination of the Abingdon Heritage Festival, which takes place annually as part of the national Heritage Open Days.

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It was made possible by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, which provided a grant to help Friends of Abingdon and Abingdon and Area Archeological and Historical Society stage the event.

Bobbie Nichols, a Friends of Abingdon member, said: "It's all based this year on the film footage, which we are recreating on a smaller scale. We've been working on it for almost a year.

"[The video] has risen all sorts of other questions about how people lived at the time, and things like where the shops were."

People are welcome to dress in costume for the event, but it is not essential.

The original homecoming parade took place on August 4, 1919, included an address from the town mayor, a march-past in The Square and laying of wreaths, flowers and branches at a temporary memorial.

Footage from the parade, looked after by the Imperial War Museum, remains in good condition and will be screened on Saturday.

The 10-minute clip will be shown in the Guildhall cinema at 11am, followed by a 20-minute documentary explaining the background.

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Hester Hand, a committee member of the civic society, said: "As far as we know, this will be the first time these images have been shown in front of a cinema audience for 99 years."

Abingdon Museum will host craft drop-in activities all day, where visitors can make badges and flags for the parade.

The society accessed important information about the film from this paper's archives, when it was known as the North Berks Herald.

One article suggested there was a botched attempt at Peace Day celebrations in July 1919, and outcry resulted in the more successful event in August.

Abingdon Heritage Festival began last Saturday with an exhibition entitled 'Abingdon 1919: Coming Home, Moving On,' which will run daily until Sunday.

The mayor opened the exhibition in the old Superdrug shop in Bury Street, and on Saturday it will display the parade footage on a loop.

There will also be walks and talks with a 1919 theme - see abingdonheritage.org.uk for details.