TO mark the 100 years since the First World War, the Gazette & Herald has joined forces with the Rotary Club of Malton and Norton to remember local people who died in the conflict.

With the help of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission records, Rotary member Colin Jennings has been able to list all of the 81 men and one woman who died in the Great War on the Rotary Club website.

His colleague, John Howard, has been trying to find out more about these servicemen and women and their experiences during the war. He has consulted the war diaries of the battalions with which they served, and also used historical records and information supplied by family.

Over the coming months, the Gazette & Herald will be publishing details of the local war victims to mark the 100th anniversary since their deaths.

Two Malton Territorials were killed in the heavy fighting north-east of Ypres on April 25 and 26, 1915 – Archibald Simpson and Alfred Robinson.

Private Archibald Simpson’s name also appears at Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, in Belgium. He died on April 25, 1915, aged 19. He was the adopted son of John and Ellen Bedale of Greengate, Malton, and was born in Bradford in 1895 and lived with his adopted parents John, 60, and Ellen, 59, and their daughter, Elizabeth, 34. He had been a labourer with the North Eastern Railway before the war.

Private Alfred Robinson’s name is also inscribed at Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, Belgium. He died on April 26, 1915, age unknown.

Malton “Terriers” were ordered to France in April 1915. Territorial soldiers from Malton, Pickering, Scarborough, Driffield, Bridlington, Filey and the surrounding villages were ordered to embark for France without delay. German forces had been seen massing near Ypres and it was feared they would make a further attempt to capture the town and threaten the Channel ports.

An advance party of 85 under Captain JAR Thomson left Newcastle on Thursday, April 15, arriving at Southampton at 6am on the following day and sailing for Le Havre at 7.30pm.

The rest of the Battalion left Newcastle two days later at 11am, under the command of Major JA Mortimer.

The local Terriers belonged to the 5th Battalion Yorkshire Regiment.

The 5th Battalion arrived at Boulogne at 1.50 am on April 18, moving up to Vlamertinghe on April 23.

Private W Hay, of the Royal Scots, reported: “We tramped along the pavé road, with Vlamertinghe and Ypres ahead, the boom of guns becoming even louder. Crowds of refugees were met, hurrying westwards with handcarts, perambulators and almost any kind of vehicle laden with all the worldly possessions left to them.

“We knew there was something that was wrong. We started to march towards Ypres but we couldn’t get past on the road with refugees coming down the road. We went along the railway line to Ypres and there were people, civilians and soldiers, lying along the roadside in a terrible state. We heard them say it was gas.

“We didn’t know what the hell gas was. When we got to Ypres we found a lot of Canadians lying there, dead from gas the day before, poor devils, and it was quite a horrible sight for us young men. I was only 20, so it was quite traumatic and I’ve never forgotten, nor ever will.

“At 3am on the 25th, the Battalion received orders to proceed to Fortuin arriving at 5am. At about 6am A and D Companies advanced to the support of Royal Irish across open field and were met with heavy shrapnel fire.

“The Battalion was relieved at midnight on the April 28 by the 4th East Yorks Regt. Casualties for tour included one officer and 23 from other ranks killed.”