THE heroic tale of a Stourport man's astonishing journey during the First World War will be remembered in a production in Areley Kings this weekend.

The performance is the third in a series remembering those who took part in war and will feature the story of grocery shop manager Sgt Arthur Beard whose plane was shot down by German bombers.

We Remember Them is part of a specially commissioned piece by professional theatre director Keith Williams. It will re-enact the story researched by Mr Williams and his wife, the former Archers' actress Mary Arden-Davis.

Mr Beard, the manager of George Mason grocers shop, Stourport, spent more than 10 weeks trekking across Europe after his plane was shot down on the Belgian/French border.

He met a resistance fighter in Bruxelles who gave him a suit and helped him on his way to Paris.

He was smuggled into Spain by the famous Comet escape line and trekked through Bilbao, Madrid and Seville before boarding a boat to Gibraltar where he was smuggled on to a plane bound for Britain.

He was one of 600 escapees helped by the Resistance escape line, 269 of whose members were caught and shot by the Germans.

As well as winning a Distinguished Flying Medal and several other awards for his time in the RAF, Sgt Beard was also a chairman of the old Stourport Urban District Council and twice mayor of Stourport.

Mrs Arden-Davis, who researched the topic with her husband, said: "The first performance in 1998 was about the First World War, last year's centred on the Second World War before the Battle of Britain, and this time we are continuing until the end of World War Two.

"Arthur was a navigator on a Halifax bomber plane that the Germans shot down when it was returning from bombing Germany.

"From then, it is a heroic tale of how he used his know-how to find his way home."

One interested member of the audience for the performance at St Bartholomew's Church will be Brenda Cooper, Mr Beard's daughter.

She said: "Dad was born in Stourport and was a town man through and through. He would be absolutely delighted if he knew this performance was taking place.

"I will be in the audience both nights and wouldn't miss this for anything. Dad was chairman of the Shrawley Royal British Legion and also belonged to the RAFA Club in Kidderminster."

The performance will also feature life in general in Stourport during the Second World War.

Mrs Arden-Davis said: "Our piece includes the bombing of Stourport Boys' School and the story of a big army camp which was used by the Americans to prepare for D-Day.

"When they left for the battle it became a hospital for American soldiers."

Wyre Forest singer and actor Jonathan Darby will play the part of Arthur Beard, and a saxophone quartet will also recreate the atmosphere of the era by playing jazz music from the period.

The production tomorrow and Saturday will begin at 7.30pm each night. Proceeds will go to the Royal British Legion.