THE names of more than 100 ex-service personnel are missing from Hyndburn's war memorials, an historian claimed today.

Walter Holmes has been researching the borough's war casualties from 1914 to 1920 for the last 10 years and has compiled a database of more than 13,000 names.

The 74-year-old spoke out after George Clark, of Grimshaw Street, Great Harwood, asked for the name of his brother - Robert Anthony Clark - to be inscribed on the town's memorial.

The marine was killed in 1951 after a friendly fire incident during manoeuvres.

Last week stonemason Marco Lysiuk, who lives in Manchester Road, Accrington, stepped in to save the day by offering to do the work for nothing after Hyndburn Council said it could not afford to do it this financial year.

Mr Holmes said his research showed there were 45 names missing from Accrington war memorial; 30 from Oswaldtwistle; 11 from Great Harwood; six from Rishton; four each from Church and Clayton-le-Moors; and two from Huncoat, making a total of 102.

His interest in records began when he tried to trace an ancestor and found the parish records in disarray.

"When I saw the state of what people had to look through I thought 'that's no good' so I started indexing the parish registers," he explained.

After completing indices of census results from 1841 to 1831 and giving them to Accrington library, he set about organising the parish registers of Church Kirk, Altham, Great Harwood and Accrington.

He then started his remarkable task of tracing the borough's war heroes, searching through newspapers and old old photographs and putting all the information into a file.

"There are 11 spelling mistakes on Accrington war memorial, and three men are listed twice," he said.

"I have found all the details of where they lived, where they were born, which schools they went to, where they worked and which churches they attended. I have a little dossier on every man."

Mr Holmes has 500 A4 pages of records and information including where they went to school, when and where they served and where they worked.

The former fireman now has nearly a quarter of a million names in his computer dating back to 1500, and research on Accrington dating back to 1150 .

Mr Clark said: "I'm not surprised there are names missing. There have ben conflicts with our lads involved all over the world. That will upset the council. It's a disgrace really that there are people who have been missed off."

Council leader Peter Britcliffe added: "It's important to update our war memorials and it's something we were looking at before we left office last time. I would appeal to anyone with information to contact me secretary Linda Deane on 01254 380165."

A spokesman for the Royal British Legion said it was not the first time names had been missed off memorials and people should contact councils, which are responsible for maintaining the cenotaphs.