Plan to get names of war dead listed on Ossett's memorial

It is a milestone that will be commemorated by thousands up and down the country - November 11, 2018.

The date will mark the moment 100 years ago when the armistice was signed, ending the First World War.

And in Ossett, it is a day that could hold a special significance.

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As people gather for the 2018 Armistice Day service, it is hoped that he town's war memorial will list the names of the 303 Ossett men who lost their lives during the Great War, for the very first time.

Members of the local community including historian Alan Howe are proposing for the names to be engraved on memorial stones around the base of the current war memorial in the town centre.

And they hope to have this recognition in place for the Armistice Day centenary.

Mr Howe said: "Ossett has a War Memorial in the Market Place. It was erected on 11 November 1928, exactly 10 years after the Armistice was signed in 1918. It also honours those who died in the Second World War.

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"However it doesn't have any names on it and in that sense it's a bit anonymous.

"The objective is to get the names of the 303 Ossett men who died in the First World War and the 75 men and women who died in the Second World War mounted at the memorial, to make it easier for future generations to remember the names and lives of the men and women who died for our freedom in two calamitous wars."

The group plans to have 20 memorial stones laid at the based of the existing memorial.

Twelve of them would be engraved with the names of the men and women, three would includewords of Remembrance such as Lest We Forget, one would remember other conflicts in which men and women died, and four corner stones would be engraved with a single poppy.

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The proposal, developed by Mr Howe, Pat Monteagle, Anne-Marie Fawcett and Steve Wilson, and lead by Coun Lynn Masterman will soon be submitted to Wakefield Council for consideration and it is hoped funding for the project can also be secured.

It has also been supported by fellow ward councillors Angela Taylor and Nick Farmer.

Mr Howe and Mr Wilson have spent four years researching the Ossett men and women who died in the two wars and have published these at www.ossett.net

But they are encouraging people to come forward if they are aware of any others who lost their lives, who were either born in or lived in Ossett.

To get in touch, email [email protected] or call 01924 271069.