AS fundraising initiatives go, it was pretty staggering.
But the people of Holmfirth responded with stunning enthusiasm and managed to raise more than £¼m in just one week.
To put it into context, that sum in wartime Britain of 1942 is equivalent to about £7.5m today.
Now the story of that fundraising venture and the drive by Holmfirth to adopt their very own warship, HMS Hero, is to be remembered.
The first public outing for the recently-restored HMS Hero plaque will be at Holmfirth this coming weekend, September 5 and 6, when the town stages another popular War Weekend.
The plaque was given to the people of Holmfirth in 1942 after they raised over a quarter of a million pounds in a week and by doing so got to adopt their very own warship.
David Compston, who triggered off the restoration project, said: “The money they raised in 1942 is equivalent to around £7.5 million today and they did it by holding dances, concerts and whist drives, but mostly from subscribing to Government Savings and War Bonds.
“We want to show everyone who comes to the Sands Recreation Ground in Holmfirth on War Weekend what a splendid history HMS Hero had.
“It ranged from rescuing survivors from other ships to the strategic role she played in liberating one of the Enigma code books from a sinking German U-boat.
“Not only that we have a list of names of people who were children in Holmfirth in 1942 and who were warship week competition winners for their drawings, paintings, models and essays. Maybe some are still in the area. We would love to meet them at this event”.
The plan is to put the plaque on permanent display in the Civic Hall in Holmfirth.
HMS Hero was built on Tyneside in the mid 1930s and was an H-Class destroyer which entered service with the Royal Navy in 1936, when it was involved in the Spanish Civil War.
The destroyer took part in Atlantic operations early in World War II and then saw service in the Mediterranean. engaged mainly on escort duties and in rescuing sailors from sinking ships.
It was while she was involved in Operation Overlord that she helped sink four German submarines.
The ship was broken up in 1950.
The weekend’s events include military vehicles, displays by various military charities and a military parade on Sunday lunchtime.
There is also set to be a flypast by a Spitfire and a Hurricane on Saturday afternoon.
