THE curtain is set to rise on a timely tribute to the fallen of the First World War at Oldbury’s Barlow Theatre.

The Accrington Pals – a deeply moving play set during the conflict – is the latest offering by the Oldbury Rep, as the company commemorates the centenary of its outbreak.

It follows the story of the naive and enthusiastic men who volunteered their services to the country after Kitchener’s calls for a new army in 1914.

Their experiences of life on the Western Front are contrasted with the women who were left behind in Accrington – who come together as friends when facing financial and social deprivation as well as coping with the social changes that came with the absence of their men.

Some 700 Accrington Pals went into action on the Somme on July 1 1916 – 235 were killed and 350 wounded in half an hour’s fighting, effectively wiping them out.

The action of the play takes place between autumn 1914 and July 1916 and was written in 1981 by Peter Whelan for the Royal Shakespeare Company.

The production runs from Saturday November 8 until Saturday November 15 (excluding Sunday) at 7.30pm.

Ticket are £10, concessions £9 and a special price of £8 is offered for the Monday and Tuesday performances.

They are available on line at www.oldburyrep.org or from the theatre box office on 0121 552 2761.

Meanwhile, tomorrow’s (Friday) film night at Oldbury Rep will continue the war theme with a screening of Sir Richard Attenborough’s Oh What a Lovely War at 7.30pm. Tickets are £3.50.