Stories of war memorials revealed by engineer

World War One's first casualties, the twins who passed away in each other's arms and a cavalry soldier who met his fate falling from a horse.

These tales make up the hidden history of people from Crewe, Cheshire, who fought for Britain in the 20th Century's two global conflicts.

Now their stories have been researched and documented by an engineering worker.

Colin Haynes, the health and safety director of train firm Alstom, has spent his spare time delving into archives across the country.

Mr Haynes said he wanted to discover the stories of former workers from the town who feature on war memorials located in his company’s Crewe Works railway engineering site.

The works has five wooden plaques and three bronze tablets which record the names of 52 of the 152 men killed in World War One and a further nine in World War Two.

They include Private Jeremiah Wilkinson, who he said was among the first to die in World War One.

The names of twins John and Henri Villiers Russell, who were found locked in each other's arms after drowning on HMS Formidable, are also recorded.

There is also a tribute to Charles Ball, a member of the Household Cavalry who died falling from his horse.

"I remain in awe of the ordinary people who left the factory gates and their loved ones to do extraordinary things in terrible conditions,” Mr Haynes said.

"I hope this collected research serves as a reminder of the sacrifices made by brave individuals from our community during two world wars and reinforces the sector’s dedication to honouring their memory, while continuing to contribute to the UK’s railway heritage.”

The Crewe works were once known as the world's greatest railway workshop and to this day, the town is a major junction on the West Coast Mainline.

Mr Haynes published his findings in a book titled "More than just their names: The War Memorials of Crewe Works".

On Monday, he said he would be among staff at the works who gather to observe a two-minute silence.

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