FORT Scratchley Historical Society will mark the centenary of the first Remembrance Day with a "moving" visual illumination on the walls of the former defence installation on Sunday night.
A range of commemorations are on display across the weekend ahead of Remembrance Day on Monday but the society will mark the occasion on Sunday night to not impede on other events run by the RSL, president Frank Carter said.
"We've got a great place, a great institution in the fort, and to be able to do these things and to use the fort as a background to these sort of commemorations is just fantastic," he said.
"We've taken a conscious decision, last year we had a Remembrance Day service up there, this year we've decided no.
"The RSL, they'll have their Remembrance Day celebration down in Civic Park like they always do.
"I see this as an ad-on - the function Sunday night where people can come and watch the projection on the wall of the fort."
Fort Scratchley's walls will be illuminated with images from Juan Mahony's book The Digger's View: WWI In Colour. The display will also depict images of the 35th Battalion, known as Newcastle's Own, and diggers from the Hunter Valley.
"If these photos come up on the wall of the fort anywhere as near as good as they come up in the book, it's going to be worth looking at," Mr Carter said.
A Roll of Honour for the Hunter Valley fallen will be played on continuous loop.
Society volunteer Michelle Thompson, who was behind the knitted poppy display last year, said the honour roll would create a "moving" mood on the night.
"It's great, it's very moving," she said. "The sentiment of the mood is very moving.
"Of course we've got our poppies out and our banners from last year's centenary."
Those who visited Fort Scratchley over the weekend will be able to write a message on a poppy, to a family member who served or anonymous solider, and place it on a banner of remembrance.
The fort's memorabilia will be set-up for viewing throughout the Barracks, as will a short-film of archival photographs of the fort.
Alliance Francais de Newcastle has created a slide show presentation of WWI sites in Frances, in recognition of the link between the village of Villers-Bretonneux and Hunter Valley diggers.
The predestination also includes a tribute to local Victoria Cross recipient Captain Clarence Smith Jeffries.
Mr Carter said interest in Remembrance Day commemorations at Fort Scratchley had "gone the roof" in recent years, particularly after the large display of knitted poppies in 2018.
"It's not treated as big as ANZAC Day, but it's certainly number two," he said.
Remembrance Day services Monday
- City of Newcastle RSL Sub-Branch, Civic Park Newcastle 11am start.
- Merewether-Hamilton-Adamstown RSL Sub-Branch, Gregson Park Hamilton, 10.50am start.
- Stockton RSL Sub-Branch, Rawson Park memorial,10.45am start.
- Boolaroo Speers Point RSL Sub-Branch, Speers Point Cenotaph, 10.45am start.
- Maitland RSL Sub-Branch, Maitland Park, 10.30am.
- East Maitland RSL Sub-Branch, Corner Williams Street and Newcastle Road, 10.40am start.
- Nelson Bay RSL Sub-Branch, Apex Park, 10.45am start.
