NEARLY 100 ‘Holgate Heroes’ - whose sacrifices were commemorated on Remembrance Day - have had their stories shared through a new book.
The Holgate 100, by researchers Ian Harley and Melvyn Lunn, explores the journey of each of the former Holgate Grammar School pupils who lost their lives in World War Two.
This follows a month-long series, run in association with the Chronicle, to share and raise awareness to these fallen soldiers in the lead up to the recomemmeration of a memorial plaque in their honour at Shaw Lane Sports Club.
Research for the project took four years, as the memorial board only had the soldiers’ initials, forcing the pair to scour historical documents to correctly identify each one.
Ian told the Chronicle: “We started just before lockdown.
“Jane Ainsworth had brought the plaque out of storage and asked if I could help research.
“I then recruited Melvyn - he’d never done research like this before but he’s a brilliant learner.
“When lockdown came it ended up working quite well, it gave us something to do and kept us out of trouble.”
Design was handled by local company Black Bee Creative and profits will be shared with HM Forces charities.
Finally getting the book out was a relief for everyone, allowing the soldiers to be remembered properly for future generations.
“It’s great all round, a real win-win,” Ian added.
“We get to preserve their memory, delight the family of the soldiers, make money for charity and provide local employment.
“I’m just delighted to see that these brave men’s sacrifice can be passed down to the next generation.”
Copies of the book are available now at Shaw Lane Sports Club.
