OUR feature last week on the First World War has caused a lot of interest among readers.

Robert Slater, of the Green, Long Preston, followed up our random selection of Sapper Percy Cooper from Long Preston to represent all the local victims from World War One to impart some fascinating information on that village's contribution to the war effort.

Six men from Long Preston were killed, or died as a result of going to war, in the six months leading up to the Armistice, among them the headmaster of Long Preston school, W Ward, killed in action on June 27 1918.

Two more Long Preston men died after the war ended: Private Len Foster, of the Machine Gun Corps, was killed in action on November 21 - 10 days after the war ended although we have no details of how he came to meet his Maker in action when hostilities had supposedly ceased - and Lance Corporal Walter Bolton, who died of pneumonia in India 10 days after the Armistice.

Our article last week mentioned brothers killed on the same day. Long Preston also suffered the loss of brothers, Gunner George Butt killed in action in September 1916, his brother Private Wilf Butt dying of wounds in August 1918.

Mr Slater informs us that 92 men and women from Long Preston served their country in World War One. Fifteen failed to return, including the eight killed in those last few months.

Mr Slater wonders what Walter Bolton, a 36 year old man and from the family of blacksmiths in the village, was doing in India.

The others who died in the final weeks of the war were Sapper Cooper, mentioned in our original article, Private James Wooler, enlisted December 1916, killed in action September 14 1918, Lance Corporal Gerald Mitchell, son of the village station master who enlisted in July 1917 and was killed in action on July 20 1918, Lieut JR Jackman, of the Royal Flying Corps (which was to become the RAF) and son of a wool merchant from the village who was reported missing on June 17 1918 and was presumed killed.

Another to write to us was Mr Jon Blythe, from West Park, Leeds, whose great uncle, Tom Langman, was killed on the same day as one of our 'random' victims pictured last week. He died of gas poisoning on May 5 1915.

Mr Langman was a regular soldier, son of a Midland Railway guard and a mill hand who lived in Broughton Road, Skipton.

Having researched the history, Mr Langman writes that on May 4 the 2nd Battalion of the Duke of Wellington's Regiment (comprised mainly of local men) relieved soldiers in trenches around the Hooge area of the Ypres salient, completing this operation by 3.30 a.m. on the 5th.

At 8.45 a.m. the Germans launched a gas attack against part of the line held by 2/Dukes. The men were dog tired after a restless night and particularly heavy fighting over the preceding three weeks, and most were asleep in their trenches with the exception of the sentries. Only one of these saw the gas coming, and he promptly gave the alarm.

The regimental history states: "Before anything could be done, all those occupying the front line over which it swept were completely overcome, the majority dying at their posts, true heroes.

"By this foul means the Germans quickly got possession of trenches 40, 43 and 45, there being practically no one left to hold them."

Tom Langman managed to crawl away, and died in agony later on from the effects of the gas.

Another response came from Andrew Rawson, of Sawley Street, Skipton, who is compiling a database based on the Herald book of the fallen, contemporary reports from the Craven Herald and the West Riding Pioneer and military records. He hopes to give details on personal information such as address, occupation, sports teams, schools and churches attended.

"All together the information forms a fascinating picture of how the Great War affected Skipton and its people," he said.

"It could be used by teachers as a learning aid and would provide a permanent record of Skipton's contribution to the Great War.

"One of the surprising things which has come to light is how names were chosen for the war memorial.

"Some men listed had very tenuous links with the town. Some had moved away years before but their families were still in Skipton. Some weren't from here but worked in the town when war broke out.

"The saddest discovery was that of several men not listed on the memorial. Why? Because they were probably orphans and unmarried. With no family left there was nobody to put their name forward when people were asked to put names forward to the memorial committee.

"Their deaths were reported in the Herald in letters sent home by surviving comrades but years later, when the memorial was built, their memory had faded away (their comrades had probably died too)."

We are still hoping to receive details of Ben Hardacre, who was reported in the national press of 1914 as being one of the two youngest men to join up when war broke out. He was a cadet drummer and bugler from Skipton who was transferred into the Second Battalion Duke of Wellington's when war broke out and accompanied the men to their training camp in Marske.

Aged just 14, we wonder what became of him. Did he see any fighting and did he survive the war? Did he return to Skipton? His father was a plumber in the town, Thomas Hardacre.

We hope readers will be able to come up trumps and furnish further details of his fate which we can then publish to tie up the loose ends.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.