A VIOLIN brought back from the trenches following the First World War has been played for the first time in more than 100 years.

Violin instructor Catherine Rees, from The Drive, Dovercourt, decided to refurbish the instrument after being given it by friend and charity founder Marilyn Bambridge, from Brantham.

The violin had remained in its case for 102 years after being brought back from France by Mrs Bambridge’s great uncle David.

The instrument was given to Mr Bambridge, now aged 72, by her grandmother when she was just 12.

“We don’t know exactly where it came from but my uncle served in France during the war, but he died before I was born,” she said.

“I never got round to learning how to play the violin, so it was never used.

“We kept it upstairs all those years, but it was once used in the window display in our photographic shop in Manningtree.”

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Mrs Bambridge, who runs the Engalynx charity in aid of Rwandan orphans, decided to hand the instrument to Mrs Reef, who plays regularly at her fundraising concerts.

“The violin had been in a box and has been unplayed since 1914,” said Mrs Rees.

“Marilyn has never heard the violin speak, so she gave it to me as I have played regularly at her concerts.

“I did a lot of work on the violin myself, but I can’t take all the credit as instrument maker Con Rendell, from Brantham, also helped to restore it.

“The case was pretty disgusting and the bow was a write-off.

“The strings were original gut strings and they had decomposed. I also had to prize out a broken peg.

“We don’t know the make of the violin. It did have a ticket saying it was a Stradivarius, but I didn’t get excited as it was common for instruments then to be copied or relabelled.

“Con prized it off and found the original maker underneath but it was so decomposed that we couldn’t read it.

“After spending quite a while restoring it, I took it out into my garden and played it for the first time last week – I played La Folia by Arcangelo Corelli.

“It had a magnificent tone and carried for miles."

Harwich and Manningtree Standard:

She added: “We don’t know who it originally belonged to, but I can tell they played well – there’s always resistance if a fiddle was played by someone harshly.

“It plays classics very well, but it doesn’t like Irish jigs or Swedish folk music.

“It’s remarkable that it hasn’t been played for 102 years.”

Mrs Rees will play the instrument at a charity recital at Manningtree Methodist Church Hall on July 9.