THE story of ‘forgotten’ war heroes is being re-told in a bid to give them the recognition they deserve.

A new book explores life for World War One soldiers in the East Lancashire Regiment, which took recruits from Manchester, Liverpool, Blackburn, Burnley, Darwen, Preston, Nelson, Bolton, Colne, Accrington and Oldham.

The authors said historians had concentrated on the stories of the major Pals units raised by corporations and towns, meaning many of the other battalions have been largely forgotten.

The book focuses on their backgrounds, jobs, family life, relationships and army roles.

Stephen Barker and Christopher Boardman said they wanted to provide an insight into The 8th Service Battalion, also known as the East Lancashire Regiment, was a unit typical of the British Expeditionary Force.

Mr Barker, a museum officer from Oxfordshire, said: “I’m from Cheshire but my great uncle joined 8th East Lancashire even though his elder brothers joined the Cheshire Regiment.

“I was interested to know why he had not joined up with them and it followed on from that.”

>> LIVES OF OUR UNFORGETTABLE HEROES

Sergeant Henry Davidson
The book reveals the story behind the deaths of two members of the East Lancashire Regiment who were killed observing enemy movements in Foncqevillers, France.

Sergeant Henry Davidson, who was one of the battalion’s oldest members at 40 years old, was shot through the neck in an the exposed South Fortin position, on September 21, 1916.

He was a foundry worker, from Blackburn, who had been a territorial soldier, member of the National Reserve and a former policeman.

In addition, he was a keen musician and had played euphonium in the police band.

He is buried in Foncquevillers Military Cemetery.

Signaller Private Wilfred Entwistle
Twenty-six-year-old Signaller Private Wilfred Entwistle died when the Germans fired over 200 shells into the Lancashire trenches.

Originally from Accrington, like many members of the battalion, he attended a non-conformist church.

The book describes how his life was built around the Baptist Church he had attended as a boy, first at Sunday School, then as a choir boy and finally as a member of the young men’s institute.

Private Entwistle was not married and his life was divided between church-related activities and his job at the Accrington mill where he worked.

Corporal John Dunn
The book includes profiles of East Lancashire soldiers who were awarded medals for bravery.

Corporal John Dunn, another of the battalion’s older recruits at 42 years old, won the Military Medal for rescuing men from a shell hole in July 1917.

In a letter by the former ironworker, from Burnley, he describes the ordeal in detail to his brother.

He tells him how he was forced to lay in a German dugout for five hours after nursing wounded men in the thick of the fighting.

His shoulder was shattered and he required surgery to remove shrapnel from his face and nose, but lived to tell the tale to his four children.

Lancashire’s Forgotten Heroes is available from November 24, price £18.99.