A NORTH Oxford school will commemorate the role more than 400 of its pupils and staff played during the First World War.

Tomorrow, from 3-6pm, The Dragon School will open its doors to the public and reveal the story of its part in the conflict.

A replica British Mark IV tank and Great War trench will be open to explore.

The school lost 83 men during the conflict.

At the turn of the last century, when many of those who would later go off to war were at the school, it had just 100 pupils.

Registrar and former head of history Desmond Devitt said the display would be of interest to the general public.

He said: “One hundred years ago it was a much more Oxford-connected place than it is now.

“The pupils were families of academics, a lot were Bodleian Library workers and tradesmen in the city.”

He added: “There will be lots of hands-on stuff and a vast amount of material returned from the war.”

People will also be able to trace their own ancestors’ role in the war at the free event with the help of experts from the Oxfordshire Family History Society. Anyone with war memorabilia can find out more about their items by taking them along for a member of the International Guild of Battlefield Guides to inspect.

In the evening Sir Anthony Seldon will give a lecture entitled Public Schools and the Great War – the Generation Lost.

The lecture starts at 6.15pm and tickets cost £10.