A PHOTOGRAPH of a young Brentor man and his fiancée, taken shortly before his death in France during world war one, is one of many fascinating items collected in the village.

The picture is included on a database of 600 images, collected by the Brentor Archive Group, and ranging from the 1880s to 2004.

The group this Saturday, June 26, is holding an open day from 11am to 4pm in the village hall where material collected will be shown through interactive computer slide shows and displays of photographs, maps and other materials.

The displays will cover all aspects of village life over the last 150 years, including family histories, houses, schools, agriculture, sports, transport, shops, war and community celebrations.

There will be an opportunity for people to bring their photographs, plans, maps, deeds and family histories, which will be scanned into the database for posterity. This will also provide a basis to digitally repair photographs, and free copies will be given to the owner.

Brentor Archive Group was set up last year to bring together and archive a visual record of life in the parish. The archive will be accessible in a way which will provide residents with a permanent record of the social history of the parish.

The database images include a photograph of Christopher Postelthwaite with his fiancée Doris Medland, taken in October 1917. He grew up in the village and this was the last photograph taken of him before leaving for France, where he was killed in 1918, aged 24.

Other images include haymaking in 1912 and the Band of Hope wagon outside Tavistock Guildhall in 1898. There are also more recent images, including the snow blizzards of 1978 and crowds watching the total eclipse in August 1999.

More information: 01722 427565.