Do you have an ancestor who fought in the Great War or another twentieth century conflict?

Would you like their story to be more widely known and used to educate future generations?

Wakefield Libraries Local Studies Service has been awarded a Big Lottery grant of £10,000 under phase 2 of the Museums, Libraries and Archives (MLA) Their Past Your Future programme, to fund the We Will Remember Them project.

The project is your opportunity to share the story of your ancestor and the impact it had on your family. If you want to trace your wartime ancestor advice will be available on how to get started. All stories collected will be made available on the Internet.

Claire Pickering of Wrenthorpe has already contributed to the project.  Her late grandfather Alfred Bellis served with the Yorkshire and Lancashire first Battalion as a private.  He was sent to France in April 1940 and was subsequently taken prisoner by the German Army and sent to Stalag 8b in Poland.  After working in Polish coal mines he finally returned home when Russian forces advanced on the Germans in Poland.

When Alfred returned he married Hilda and they settled in Normanton.  After working ‘on the bins’ for the council eventually found work as a high power linesman for the Yorkshire Electricity Board.  Alfred died on 7 August 1985.

So, if you have an ancestor from the Wakefield District who served in the armed forces and would like to share their story please contact Alison McKenning for further information about how to participate in the project.

Alison McKenning
Library Headquarters
Balne Lane
Wakefield
WF2 0DQ

Telephone: 01924 302222
Email: lib.rememberthem@wakefield.gov.uk