SCHOOLCHILDREN pay tribute today to soldiers from St Helens who paid the ultimate price in The First World War.

At 10.45am they will plant poppies on the graves of soldiers buried at St Nicholas Church, Sutton.

Butch Gilbart, of the Liverpool Pals Memorial Fund, has organised the event, which he hopes will raise the children’s awareness of the 1914-18 conflict and the debt society owes to the bravery of those who fought and perished in foreign fields.

Many St Helens men fought in the Liverpool Pals Battalions, formed by Lord Derby in August 1914.

More than 20 of these men gave their lives as Liverpool Pals, and 400 of them had worked for Pilkingtons.

Now Butch is campaigning on behalf of the men from St Helens who served in The King’s Liverpool Regiments to raise funds for a memorial to them for unveiling at Lime Street Station on August 31.

He said: “As a St Helens man born and bred and as an ex-soldier who served in The King’s Regiment, I feel passionately that the current generation should be aware of the sacrifice of all of the men of St Helens.

“This is a great way to raise that awareness, and the poppies as a symbol of sacrifice will remind everyone of that sacrifice when they begin to grow.

“That they have been planted by young children is all the more poignant.”

Mr Gilbart is appreciative of the support of B&Q in St Helens for their generosity in donating the seeds for planting, and thanked the Vicar of St Nicholas, the Rev Mark Taylor, for his support.

Further information, including how you can donate to the Liverpool Pals Memorial, can be found at theliverpoolpalsmemorialfund.com.