STANDING proudly since May 1921, Dunscar War Memorial commemorates the residents of Egerton, Eagley, Dunscar and Bromley who were killed in the First World War, the Second World War and the Falklands War.

Known locally as ‘Finger Post’, short services were held each Sunday evening during the First World War where the names of the most recent casualties amongst the local community were read out, meaning the site for the memorial has massive significance for the communities which suffered those 132 losses.

The faces and stories behind the names have now been revealed thanks to the efforts of amateur historian, Nick Haworth, a local man who was determined that their sacrifice wouldn’t be forgotten.

“A lot of the men who are mentioned on the memorial are also mentioned on other church memorials, but the data had never been collated before,” said Nick, who worked closely with the Bolton Remembers website. “The names are out there if you know where to look and I’m proud that I’m a geek and love doing this kind of thing.”

Despite the huge number of changes to Bolton in the century since the First World War, Nick was shocked to find that many of the men’s homes were still standing.

He said: “A lot of the addresses are still there and people have been coming up to me and saying ‘that’s my next door neighbour 100 years ago’. There has been a lot of building work and expansion across the area but unlike a lot of the town centre there hasn’t been a lot of demolition.”

The youngest man listed is just 18 with the oldest aged 45 with the vast majority serving with the infantry or the Royal Artillery.

“The really black day for Bolton was October 26, 1917 at the Battle of Passchendaele,” said Nick. “The soldiers were advancing in waist high mud and a lot of the Bolton lads were never seen again.”

Nick’s research was unveiled at Dunscar War Memorial at this month’s Remembrance Service.

“It made me feel very proud,” he added. “I’ve been blown away by the interest and I’ve had some great feedback from some ex-members of the Armed Forces who have said it means a lot to them.”

The display will be available to view at Dunscar War Memorial throughout November.