As Wales gears up to commemorate the Welsh soldiers who lost their lives in the Battle of the Somme a century ago, a Pembrokeshire village is preparing to mark the anniversary in music.

A Village at War is the concert version of a full-scale opera written, produced and sung by the village of Llangwm which played to sell-out audiences in November 2014.

The concert version will be staged as part of the prestigious St. Davids Cathedral Festival on Thursday, June 2.

Funding from the Ministry of Defence Armed Forces Covenant enabled local composer Samuel Howley and librettist Peter George from Newport to re-write the words and music in concert form.

Other local choirs were brought in to swell the ranks, as was the Menevia Orchestra under the leadership of Barry Haskey.

The involvement of the 14th Signals Regiment, who’ll be providing a guard of honour, will add an extra poignancy to the performance; one of their number, Captain Callum Cramp, will also be taking part as one of the choristers.

The opera version, WW1: a Village Opera, started life as a gleam in the eye of the Llangwm Local History Society, who wanted to mark the centenary of the outbreak of war.

The original idea was simply to stage a concert, but composer Samuel Howley had other ideas and with librettist and poet Peter George hatched an ambitious plan - to write and produce an opera telling the story of two young lovers, Tom and Mary, against the background of events on the Western Front.

Louise Hales, who sang the part of Mary in the original production, appears again in A Village at War, while Nick Allen is Tom.

Marcus Lewis plays the part of The Sergeant, a sort of Greek chorus figure who brings the production together.

For many of those taking part, it’s the first opportunity to sing with an orchestra.

Fundraiser Liz Rawlings, who also plays the part of Martha in the production, describes it as ‘an amazing experience.’

“Quite apart from the experience of singing in such a production, the community aspect is important, leading to the forging of friendships with choristers from other choirs.

“All the volunteers - not just the singers - have given up so much of their time and energy to commemorate the battle and the loss of lives, and we hope A Village at War will be seen as a fitting tribute to those who fought and those who waited at home.”

Tickets are available at £8 to £15 from the St. Davids Festival website, http://stdavidscathedralfestival.co.uk/ and the performance starts at 7 pm. The box office can be reached on 07506 117901.