THIS village church yesterday invited its parishioners to consider how similar our world is to the world of 1914.

Sarah Nesbitt, church warden at St Mary Magdalene, Crowmarsh Gifford, said: “The First World War was basically a family feud.

“We were encouraging people to think about what a small argument can turn into, particularly pertinent with certain things happening around the world.

“Take the crisis in Syria. Syria is where the early Christian church started and now it is one of the most persecuted religions in that region.

“The Christian church is about peace, harmony and working together for peaceful solutions.”

Mrs Nesbitt’s grandfather, Herbert Walter Fry, fought as an officer in the battles of the Somme, Ypres and Passchendaele with the King’s Royal Rifle Corps First Batallion.

He was captured in March 1918 and held prisoner for the rest of the conflict, but Mrs Nesbitt said that, like many soldiers, he did not speak about the war.

The church is currently hosting an exhibition of local residents’ WWI paraphernalia, including pictures of relatives and local history books.

It will next be open to the public for a Sunday service from 10.15am-12.30pm.

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