THE GROUP that have painstakingly restored the Roll of Honour at St Augustine’s Church are hoping to uncover the stories behind the soldiers with their names inscribed on it.

It comes after 18 people with family connections to names on the Roll of Honour attended the recent service of rededication in St Augustine's Church.

Most were relatively local but others travelled from Carmarthen, Kent and London.

Family members from as far afield as Canada and Australia have also contacted the Friends of St Augustine's group with family stories and photographs of their relatives who were killed in the First World War.

Now that conservation work on the memorial is complete, the Friends are concentrating on the other, possibly more difficult, side of the project. This is to find out more about the lives of the men before they went to war. Of particular interest are family stories, the little things that aren't officially recorded, and photographs.

Andrew Davison, of the Friends of St. Augustine's group, said: “The important thing to remember is that the Roll of Honour is non-denominational. If your relative died as a result of the war and had a connection with Penarth, he (and in this instance it was all men) was entitled to have his name on the Roll.

“Delighted though we are to have already learned something of the lives of perhaps 25 men, there are many, many more of whom we know nothing. There are 207 names on the Roll of Honour and we would like people to contact us if they recognise any of them.”

The names can be seen on the Friends of St. Augustine's website and are on display in Penarth Library, West House, Paget Rooms, the Kymin, British Legion, RAFA Club, and various sports clubs and businesses in the town.

Anyone with any information, however little, should contact the Friends by email, friendsofstaugustinespenarth@yahoo.com or phone 02921 152723.

For the full list of names go to: http://www.friendsofstaugustines.co.uk/v1/News/Entries/2013/10/15_100_years_on_-_the_Roll_of_Honour.html

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