WW1 centenary to be marked with special events spanning four years By Sam Webb and David Wilkes They came from all over Britain to fight in the trenches of Flanders, in the skies above the battlefields and in the warships of the Royal Navy. And now, to mark the centenary of the First World War, the conflict's Victoria Cross heroes will be honoured in the communities from where they set off to battle. Each one of the 430 men awarded the British Empire's highest medal for military valour will have their name enshrined in a paving stone in their home town. Highclere Castle, better known as Downton Abbey, functioned as a fictional hospital for wounded soldiers in the First World War. They will be installed in prominent spots over the four years on the 100th anniversary of the action for which each medal was issued. Each will incorporate an electronic reader which passers-by will be able to scan using their smartphones to learn more about the serviceman honoured. Yesterday, as the design for the VC monuments was unveiled, more details emerged of other events to mark the conflict's centenary. The century will be marked with flypasts at stately homes, including Castle Howard in Yorkshire (pictured) The first two slabs will be laid in August 2014 for Sidney Godley of East Grinstead, West Sussex, and Charles Garforth of Willesden Green in London. Private Godley, 25, won his VC for singlehandedly holding off German forces for two hours at the Battle of Mons on August 23, 1914, allowing his comrades to retreat. Despite shrapnel wounds to his back and a bullet lodged in his skull, he held his position at Nimy Bridge until he was finally captured. The Imperial War Museum (pictured) in London will display the largest collection of WWI memorabilia Remarkably, after treatment at a German field hospital, he survived the war and died in 1957. Corporal Garforth, who died in 1973 at the age of 81, earned his VC for a series of heroic acts which began on August 23, 1914 at Harmingnies, France. They included rescuing a sergeant from beneath a dead horse while under fire. The paving stones were designed by architect Charlie MacKeith, 50, winner of a nationwide competition. Communities and Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles said the stones will "keep the memory of local war heroes alive for hundreds more years." The centenary of the start of the war will be marked with a programme of more than 2,000 plays, performances and exhibitions. VC recipient Johnson Beharry and Eric Pickles unveil a paving stone at the Army and Navy Club in Central London, which will commemorate recipients of the Victoria Cross during the First World War A replica WWI Sopwith Triplane fighter (N500), which belongs to the Great War Display Team