EXHIBITIONS are to be held in Barrhead and Neilston to mark the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War.

Members of the Neilston War Memorial Association (NWMA) plan to hold two week-long displays next year in honour of the hundreds of men and women from the area who served their country during the bloody conflict.

Organisers also aim to stage a smaller exhibition at Barrhead Foundry this summer to foster interest and community involvement.

Residents who own any pieces of First World War memorabilia are being asked to consider lending items for the displays.

After announcing the project, NWMA published a list of the 614 soldiers, sailors and nurses from the Levern Valley who lost their lives in the conflict.

It took four years to complete and features names from Barrhead, Neilston, Uplawmoor and Nitshill.

Association secretary Matt Drennan hopes those who now live in the area will show their support for past generations a century on from one of the deadliest wars in history.

He said: “In conjunction with the East Renfrewshire heritage department, we are looking to put on displays in relation to the First World War.

“The first display at Barrhead Foundry will be held this summer. We then want to do a week-long display in Neilston and Barrhead Foundry in 2018.

“We are looking for locals to lend or donate World War One-related photos, letters or artefacts related to local soldiers, sailors, nurses and munition workers.

“Any memorabilia will be professionally copied or displayed for a major exhibition to commemorate the war’s end in the district and neighbouring areas.”

Matt, who is from Neilston, trawled through hundreds of files and used different search engines to compile the casualty list.

He said: “The list is 614 people-long – 613 men and one nurse. It was compiled in relation to the Neilston War Memorial Project.

“Once the Neilston project was complete, I felt I could not just stop there. I had to continue to complete a casualty list for the whole parish of Neilston and the Levern Valley.

“We realised there was a helluva lot of boys from Barrhead who weren’t on memorials. Some were commemorated at churches but not at Cowan Park.

“So many of the Neilston and Barrhead lads had died side by side.”

NWMA will apply to the Heritage Lottery Fund to help with the costs of the displays.

The association also hopes to book historical speakers to give pre-wartime accounts of mobilisation, training and departure for war.

To view the casualty list, search for Neilston War Memorial Association on Facebook.

If you would like to contribute memorabilia for the displays, call Matt on 07917668169 or email matthew.drennan@sky.com.