On Saturday, June 28, Bradford World War 1 Group’s first official event within its Heritage Lottery-funded centenary commemoration programme takes place at the Mechanics’ Institute Library on Kirkgate.

The date is significant, for it will be exactly 100 years to the day since the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife in Sarajevo. Five weeks later, those shots brought five empires to war.

During the afternoon there will be a couple of presentations with a break for tea and cakes between and plenty of time for discussion. The meeting will begin at 2pm go on for about three hours.

The first talk will explain why an Archduke should be a target on that particular day in Sarajevo – June 28, 1914. The second is from Stan Wilkinson of Lancaster.

Tricia Platts, secretary of the WW1 Group, said: “Stan is a great car enthusiast and some people may remember him coming about five years ago to tell us about the vehicle in which the Archduke was riding.

“While Stan’s delivery made this extremely amusing in many respects, this was a tale of mishaps and misfortune which has stuck in the minds of those who heard him that day.

“We hope that there will be a very good attendance from WW1 Group members, their friends and from the wider mailing list which I have put together.

“For Mechanics’ Institute Library members the event will be free (although a £1.50 contribution to the refreshments would be welcome). For visitors there will be a small fee of £4.50 to include the tea.”

Please contact Tricia if you would like to attend before June 11. The address is: Bradford Mechanics Institute Library, 76 Kirkgate, BD1 1SZ. Or contact her on 01943-875176.