HUNDREDS of men from Edgworth, Chapeltown and Entwistle fought for their country in the First World War.

To commemorate its centenary, a Lottery-funded project is now under way to create a biography for every one of these village servicemen.

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This will include their military records, immediate family history and all other relevant information, which, it is hoped, will be added to the Imperial War Museum Lives of the First World War website, under the name Edgworth Pals.

The aim is to create a fitting tribute to the 101 men known to have made the ultimate sacrifice, as well as the survivors, who may have had their lives torn apart by injuries or trauma and the women whose lives were engulfed with sadness.

A research group meets most Wednesday s and has the names of 280 men who went to war from the three villages - while recognising there were many more.

Now Bygones readers have been asked to help with any information, photos or stories regarding soldiers from these three communities.

If you have any information, about a family member, maybe a grandfather or great uncle, or would like to help with the research, you should contact Linda Spencer at lespncr@aol.com or telephone 01204 853638.

Linda, Alan Woodward and Sandra Glancy, have already researched some of the soldiers’ stories, including that of three brothers Tom, David and Christopher Alderson who, according to the 1911 census were all living at 2 Windy Arbour, Edgworth, with their parents Ralph and Eliza.

Ralph, born in 1869 in Cliviger, married Eliza Walker, from Loveclough, in 1891 at Hyndburn Register Office.

The couple settled initially in Burnley where the three boys were born and Ralph was a fried fish and chip potato dealer.

Ralph was employed as a foreman in a stone quarry; Chris and Tom were piecers in a spinning mill, and David was a ‘hooker’ in the making-up room of the local calico print works.

No service records have been found for any of the men, but it is clear they all served and it would appear that all three survived.

For in 1932, Tom was living at 299, Bolton Road and was a machine minder, while Chris lived at number 185, and is described as a labourer.

There are references to David in booklets about Edgworth written by Arthur Fairhurst as the groundsman at The Barlow Institute, who used to row visitors round the park lake for a charge of 2d and mow the tennis grass courts.

He also mowed the the outfield of Edgeworth cricket ground, with mower, pulled by a horse, loaned from Joe Ramwell, which had leather shoes attached to its feet so as not to damage the ground.

Another serviceman which has come to the researchers’ knowledge is Fred Green, but despite their best efforts they can find no trace of him.

His hat band clearly shows the name of his ship, HMS Lion, but there is no trace of him in the 1911 census and nothing on naval rating records in the National Archives.

HMS Lion was involved in action early in the war in the Battle of Heligoland Bight in 1914.

Many crew perished, but Fred Green was not among them.

Fred and his enigmatic smile remain a mystery – do you know anything about him?