More than 200 high school pupils took part in a production at the weekend to commemorate 100 years since the First World War.

The pupils, from Davenant Foundation School in Chester Road, Loughton, participated in 'Remembrance and Reflection', which was held at London's Mermaid Theatre, on Saturday.

The performance, which was made up of poetry readings, dancing and live music, told the story of two masters, Captain Frederick Wilkinson Crofts and Lieutenant Wilfrid Ashton Piercy, who left the security of the Whitechapel school before laying down their lives in the fields of northern Europe.

Headteacher Chris Seward said: “The production achieved everything that we had set ourselves at the outset.

"It allowed our students to explore the history of World War One through music and verse.

“Everyone in the audience was very proud of our students and the professionalism that they showed in their performance.

“It also was a way for us to honour the centenary of the outbreak of the war and to reflect on the enormous impact it had, indeed still has, on our world."