MOVING stories of local soldiers who died in two world wars have been pieced together to form a book.

The 'Book of Honour' pays tribute to men and women who died fighting for their country.

It will be presented to the community on Sunday - the 60th anniversary of D-Day.

It is the sixth in a series of books compiled by Lancaster Military Heritage Group to remember the war dead.

The latest publication contains the biographies of men named on war memorials in Warton, Yealand, Borwick and Priest Hutton.

Previous books have noted the tragic memoirs of soldiers from Morecambe and Heysham.

Bolton-le-Sands' Brigadier Jim Dennis has uncovered the fate of many of the soldiers after years of research.

On June 6, 1944, more than 300,00 men were involved in Operation Overload - the historic landings in Normandy.

John Stephenson, of Bolton-le-Sands, has been asked to present the epic manuscript to the people of Warton at the village's parish church on Sunday.

The story charting John's father's death in August 1944 - in the breakout force from the Normandy Beaches - features in the book.

John never knew his father Private Walter Edward Stephenson of the Fourth Battalion of the Wiltshire Regiment - he died seven months before John was born. John's mother never re-married and kept all the correspondence her late husband sent her.

The memoirs helped Brig Dennis to piece together the horrific jigsaw of events that unfolded.

Pte Stephenson, a Warton villager, told his wife Hilda in a letter he was 'in the pink'.

"I am enjoying the warm weather. They are a grand lot of lads here - of course we were strangers but now good pals."

It was to be the last letter she received.

Pte Stephenson was killed instantly by a shell in a trench and was buried in the Military Cemetery at Tilly Sur Seulles near Caen, France.

The Military Heritage group and Brig Dennis, editor of the books, have been producing a series of books of honour for locals named on war memorials in the area.

Brig Dennis says: "While putting the book together, we came across lots of stories which are incredibly moving. They made me realised the enormity of what these people did.

"They were just young girls and men going off whistling to war, not knowing where they were heading and thinking it would be over soon. It was not a patriotic thing it was just something that people did and that meant standing by their mates and seeing them die."

The group next hopes to bring out a book charting the lives of people from Lancaster.