THEY sacrificed their lives for their country.
And now a Kirklees woman has put together a fascinating history of the men who died in the First World War from part of Batley.
The names of the 76 men are recorded on the war memorial at St Mary of the Angels Church in Batley, and Jane Roberts has spent three years compiling their history.
In the course of her work she identified a further six men from the parish not listed on the memorial.
Now she has produced a booklet containing their biographies which is available at Batley Library.
Mrs Roberts said: “Since childhood I’ve been fascinated by the names on the memorial and wanted to find out more about the men behind them.
“Although it has been a lot of hard work I am proud of what I have achieved.”
Included in the booklet is the story of Thomas Foley, who is thought to be the first Batley man to be awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM).
Mrs Roberts can be contacted at 07714 203891.
