Schoolchildren got a fresh look at the First World War when they looked into the past of ethnic minority soldiers.

Pupils at Walker Primary School, in Waterfall Road, Southgate, learnt about the wartime secrets of members of the Gurkha Rifles who fought in northern France, Ypres, in Belgium, and Gallipoli, in Turkey.

Trench Brothers, developed by HMDT Musics arts group, in Palmers Green, gave each group a task to research a specific black British, British West Indies or Indian Army soldier.

The pupils learnt about Nepalese soldier Sher Singh Rana and his life during the First World War.

They were also given tasks to write a letter home from the soldier and discovered artefacts from the war, provided by National Army Museum.

The pupils were joined by Dr Andrew Murrison MP, the Prime Minister’s special representative for the centenary commemorations of the Great War.

Mr Murrison spoke about the importance of the work Trench Brothers is doing.

He said: “Trench Brothers is an imaginative and inspiring project taking the incredible story of our Great War ethnic minority soldiers to London primary schools.

“It is a wonderful synthesis of music, theatre and puppetry, engaging young people and challenging them to think about the events of a century ago.”

Jazz pianist Julian Joseph and Richard Taylor have also helped create wartime stories through music as part of the project.