THE lights went out all over Trafford on Monday evening to commemorate the start of the First World War.

Single candles stood in the windows of houses across the borough, including Trafford Town Hall, Lancashire Cricket Club, Sale Waterside and Manchester United's Old Trafford football ground which were plunged into darkness between 10pm and 11pm.

As part of Trafford's commemoration, three buglers played the Last Post at memorial and plaques across the borough.

The trio, who are part of the 3rd Dayyhulme (Lostock) Scout and Guide Band, sounded the piece to mark the dead at 15 memorials and plaques across the borough.

The trio made up of Jim Field, the Scout group leader, Becky Shaw and Dawn Atkin, played during the day and evening at venues, which included the Imperial War Museum North, and a plaque to Old Trafford staff from the former Westinghouse factory, which is now on display at St Antony's Heritage Centre.

Mr Field said: "Playing the Last Post is one way of commemorating the sacrifice made by that generation and by those who have served in subsequent conflicts.

"The bugle was the mobile phone of its day, telling you what to do and what was going on. In the noise of battle, orders would be given to the infantry by bugle and to the cavalry by trumpet to stop any confusion."

After playing at Stretford's War memorial on Chester Road, the group moved to a plaque on the side of a house in Gorse Hill.

The trio played outside the Sale War memorial and at St Paul's Church to remember the 187 recorded deaths including Alfred Starkey Appleby of Rutland Lane, who at 16 was the youngest from the area to die.

Similarly in Altrincham, the effort shown by 248 people who made the ultimate sacrifice in giving their lives for the cause was remembered. John Arnold aged 51, from Thomas Street, was the oldest to die and William Shaw, at 16, was the youngest teen to die.

The group played outside the former Grapes pub on Chapel Street where an inscribed plaque is dedicated to 161 men who fought and the 29 who never returned home.

From there the trio headed to the Hale Barns memorial, before playing before at a plaque at Umston WMC, the John Alker Ex-Servicemen's Club and at Flixton Conservative Club where billiard players and members stood to attention.

The evening was rounded off at Urmston Conservative Club, Urmston War Memorial and the Davyhulme War memorial.

Mr Field added: "Many of the places we turned up at didn't realise we would be playing and people came up to us to express their gratitude and said how very, very moving our playing had been for them.

"It's really gratifying to see just how many plaques and memorials are tucked away in little corners of the borough inside buildings and scout huts.

"We had a warm welcome from everybody and the playing for us was a deeply moving experience."