THE Horrabridge Combined Service Group is expanding its range of activities and is looking for new members to take part.

One project is to gather information about village losses in the many conflicts since the local memorial was last updated. Another idea is to organise trips to battlefields where Horrabridge men and women are known to have served and died.

All the armed forces have their own associations but there are thought to be not many places, if any, with a Combined Service Group like Horrabridge’s.

A spokesperson for the group said: ‘It was born about four years ago, from the get-together in the pub which follows the solemnities of Remembrance Day in the village. Its main aim was to maintain and enhance the traditionally strong local support for the parade and service which take place on the nearest Sunday to November 11 – this year, November 12.

‘But it has become an effective channel for the service taste for getting up and doing something. Events organised by Horrabridge CSG have included a Christmas Dartmoor Marathon and a gruelling Dartmoor Double Marathon and trips to the WWI battlefields known as The Somme and Passchendaele, as well as regular barbecue parties, to raise money for military charities and local veterans in need.’

The group rallied support for Lee Spencer 15 months ago, when he was representing Horrabridge and the Royal Marines in a team of disabled servicemen rowing the Atlantic. And last year, its representations on behalf of former Navy petty officer Frank Greep, a Horrabridge man born and bred, resulted in him getting medal of the Legion d’Honneur for his service on minesweepers in the Channel in WWII.

The group meets quarterly at the London Inn and the next meeting will be at 3pm on Sunday, March 5. New faces welcomed. Meanwhile, the contact for the group is Ian Mulholland, colour sergeant of the Royal Marines and son-in-law of Jill and Jinks Fitzsimmons on 07764 983441 or [email protected]