Children at Sunny Days Preschool were fascinated to meet two war veterans who told them stories of their time in the forces and showed them artefacts last week.

Veteran Andy Crocker, who was in the army at the time of the Northern Ireland conflict, brought pieces of shrapnel and an ornament made from ball bearings found in the fields of Belgium.

The Children, who dressed up in 1940s costumes, also saw two hand-held bayonets, one from World War One and one from World War Two.

Manager Tracey Willett said: “The children really loved it. They have usually got a ten-minute attention span, but they sat there for 20 minutes listening to him.”

The visits were part of a week of activities designed to educate the children about Remembrance Day and raise funds for the Royal British Legion.

The preschool cares for 57 children between the ages of three and five and they collected £35 for the Royal British Legion.

Later in the week Paul Mayo, chairman of the Calne branch of the Royal British Legion, also visited to speak about his experience working in the RAF for 21 years.