A NEW exhibition showcasing the untold stories of 20 Lancashire Fusiliers who died at the Battle of the Somme opens tomorrow.

The Missing of the Somme celebrates the lives of several soldiers who have no known grave and whose names feature among the 1,686 Fusiliers, many of whom were from Bolton, on the Thiepval Memorial in France.

The exhibition, at The Fusilier Museum, is based on the work of Pam and Ken Linge, who have dedicated a large part of their lives to researching every name on the Thiepval Memorial and to date have compiled information on more than 12,000 men on their Database of the Missing.

Mr Linge, from Northumberland, said: "We have been working on this since 2003, trying to find out about the men on the Thiepval Memorial.

"We volunteered because this is about remembrance and showing that these are not just names, they are men who lived, died, and are buried out there.

"From our own research we have compiled information on more than 12,000 soldiers.

"There are another 60,000 still there, but this is a project we started in the knowledge that we would never finish it.

"Then The Fusilier Museum asked us to help with this exhibition and we are happy to do what we can to keep the memories of these men alive."

Stephen Dawson's great-grandfather, Private Joseph Murphy is among those whose stories are told in the exhibit, featuring alongside a letter from his wife which was written several months after the battle to ask if anyone had heard of her husband since ‘the big push’.

Mr Dawson said: "The letter is dated December, 1916 and he died on July 1. I was amazed when I saw it, we had no idea it existed.

"It's wonderful to see his story told here and I have donated a locket that his wife had made to remember him by."

Sarah Stevenson, collections manager at The Fusilier Museum in Bury, added: “We so often see names inscribed on war memorials, not knowing who these men were or what they did.

"This exhibition gives us an opportunity to share these untold stories of ordinary local men who gave their lives during the First World War. Their stories are both heartbreaking and fascinating in equal measure.

"Many thanks to Pam and Ken for working with us on the project and we look forward to sharing the stories with visitors during the commemorative weekend.”

During the opening weekend there will be a programme of special events taking place to mark the centenary.

This will include a special day of talks, tours and workshops taking place on Saturday. There will be a special screening of the The Battle of the Somme film, which includes original footage of British soldiers at the front in the opening days of the battle.

The free screening will take place in the Minden Suite at 1pm and will be then followed with a talk by Pam and Ken Linge about their work.

There will also be poetry readings, object handling sessions in the galleries and a Battle of the Somme museum tour.

A full programme of events is available at fusiliermuseum.com