PETER Harvey writes “It still amazes me that so many people are not aware of their family’s involvement in WW1. Wherever your family lived, they would have been affected by the Great War.”

With the approach of the 100th Anniversary in August of the beginning of the war I hope our readers will try to find what that involvement was. Haydock man David Knowles is well known in local history circles and gave me a copy of ‘Now thus, Now thus’, when we began the St Helens Pals Project almost three years ago.

It lists all the men who worked at Pilkington Bros and served their country in 1914-18 conflict. Though quite rare, I did know about that book. However, David has just given me an article which none of our key researchers knew anything about.

It is An Illuminated Address of Army Orders from 22nd April 1918 and contains notification of Awards of Medals for Gallantry in the Field, given by Field Marshall General Sir H.S. Rawlinson, naming 39 soldiers who were awarded significant medals.

There are six South Lancs Regiment names on this list: 20567 Lance Sergeant William Blake MM and bar killed in action 23/03/18; 20818 Sergeant Henry Sandford who lived through the war discharged 27/1/19; 20813 Sergeant James Taylor discharged 3/2/19; 21132 Private Albert Atherton records did not survive; 21474 Private James Percival discharged 30/1/19 and 21043 Private William Seaton discharged 23/2/19.

All received the Military Medal (MM) but only two families have contacted us so far. Coffey Time readers will know we recently found the family of Arthur Shacklady now in North Wales. Virtually every family name is on our list.

Please contact us if you think your family had, or might have had, someone serving in the St Helens Pals. So far around 100 families have done so.

21040 Company Sergeant Major Prescott must belong to somebody, known as ‘Butcher’ he was a rugby player. There are eight members of the Prescott family in the Pals are any of them yours?

There are six members of the Swift family and nine members of the Atherton family and who knows but James Percival might just be related to our up and coming Saints’ player?

Is anyone related to Thomas Shingler or Samuel Shuker, Henry Sherratt or any of the other three Sharetts Alfred, Alfred J or John. Don’t be frightened to contact us.

Give us a name and possible address in 1911, an army number would help, and your contact details.

Contact us pals@sthelenstownshipsfhs.org.uk or 13 Pike Place, St Helens, WA10 5EB.