FROM the castle to the cottage, no family was safe from the First World War. Two years after it ended, on December 12, 1920, villagers from Staindrop gathered to remember those of the 200 they had waved off to fight but whom had never come home.

From his lordship to the most lowly, they crammed into their parish church to dedicate an impressive unveil an memorial to those of the 200 men they had waved off to fight who had not come home.

"The memorial was unveiled by Lord Barnard," said The Northern Echo the following day. "The monument is of oak, carved and gilded, and bears two brass tablets, on which are inscribed the names of the dead heroes, 40 in number."

And Staindrop is remembering them still.

Next Saturday (July 5), an exhibition of the stories, photographs and medals of the fallen 40 is being held in the church from noon until 4pm. At the same time, in the nearby Scarth Hall, afternoon teas will be served, raising funds for Help for Heroes.

The stories have been researched by Jennifer Priestley and Diane Bell.

They've found that 219 men, and two women, from the village went off to war, and that 41 men in fact died – Fred Binks died of the effects of gas poisoning in 1920, too late to be included on the memorial. The women, Miss EA Bell and Miss E Stephenson, served overseas as nurses and appear to have returned home unscathed.

Staindrop is a pretty, Georgian village clustered around a long green. It owes much of its historic prosperity to Raby Castle three miles away. Since 1626, the castle has been owned by the Vane family who in 1698 were granted the hereditary title of Lord Barnard.

The exhibition contains many details about the 180 Staindrop men who did make it back, plus there are the stories of the fallen 41. Here are a few that Jennifer and Diane have uncovered:

Driver Edward Tarn
Died: July 17, 1916

EDWARD and his five brothers lived on Main Street. His father, Thomas, was a hewer in a coalmine.

Edward joined the Royal Field Artillery in 1915 and in July 1916, like the Memories' diarist, Gunner George James (see over), was fighting in the Battle of the Somme.

A letter received by his father from a captain in the RFA explained what happened to him: "He went to a river about a mile away from camp together with two others to wash and bathe. Unfortunately, none of the three could swim. It appears that after you son had washed himself, he floated out into the middle of the stream but was caught by the current which was rather fast. He was sucked under in a whirlpool and, after he had gone for the first time, he was never seen again.

"As soon as I heard about it, I sent a party of good swimmers down with ropes. I also got a boat and a thorough search was made for four hours, but I am sorry to say that his body has not yet been found.

"Your son joined my battery out here and I always found him a good lad and keen on his work. He will be greatly missed by his comrades."

His body was never recovered, and so his name is recorded on the Thiepval monument to the missing of the Somme.

Corporal Albert Buckle
Died: September 11, 1915

ALBERT came from a long line, but had an extremely short career at the front.

He had followed in the footsteps of his father and great uncle and become a gamekeeper at Raby Castle, but in late 1914 he joined the 13th Battalion, Durham Light Infantry.

The battalion spent the first half of 1915 training – Albert impressed and was promoted to corporal – before it was despatched to France on August 25. By train and foot, it moved through northern France towards Belgium. At the start of September, the soldiers spent another five days training, before marching towards Armentieres, on the France/Belgium border.

On September 9, six of the battalions eight platoons made it into the trenches at Sailly Bridge. One soldier was wounded.

On September 10, the remaining two platoons reached their trenches and immediately came under machine gun fire – five soldiers were wounded.

On September 11, Albert died of the wounds he had sustained on one of the previous days. His war in the trenches had therefore lasted just a few hours before he sustained his fatal injuries.

Private Thomas Saltmarsh
Died: April 10, 1917

Company Sergeant Major Fred Saltmarsh
Died: October 18, 1918

THERE are four Browns on the Staindrop memorial, a couple of Dents and the two Saltmarsh brothers, Fred and Thomas. Their parents lived in Church View and like their father, they were miners, probably up at Cockfield.

Both boys had long careers on the Western Front. Thomas had been in the 15th Battalion, Durham Light Infantry since August 1915, and lasted until April 1, 1917, the second day of the Battle of Arras in northern France. He was 23.

Fred was three years older, and was in the 13th DLI. While on leave in June 1917, he'd married Gertrude Sams of Cockfield in Staindrop church, and then in October 1917, he'd won the Military Medal.

"He was wounded by shell fire in the neck during a counter-attack," said his citation. "He inspired his platoon with confidence and brought them out safely."

A year later, he was still on the Somme, not far from the town of Albert. The battle was so fierce that the village of Doingt was completely destroyed, although Fred lies in Doingt cemetery which was built afterwards.

Captain the Honourable Henry Cecil Vane
Died: October 9, 1917

HENRY was the oldest son of the 9th Baron Barnard of Raby Castle. Born in 1882, he'd been educated at Eton and Oxford, and had been a career soldier – for four years he was the aide-de-camp of the Governor of Madras in India.

In November 1914, just after his marriage to Lady Enid Fane, he joined the Yorkshire Hussars and in December 1916 was transferred to the Royal Field Artillery.

He died in hospital in Rouen, northern France, where he had been dangerously ill from a week with acute infective jaundice – an unpleasant disease connected to damp conditions in rat-infested trenches.

"The news was received with deep regret in Teesdale, where Lord Barnard has large landed estates to which the deceased would, had he survived, succeeded in due course," said the Darlington and Stockton Times.

Lord Barnard's two other sons, Christopher and Ralph, both returned from the war, Christopher to find that he was now heir apparent. He had served as a major in the Westmorland and Cumberland Yeomanry, had been awarded a Military Cross and had twice been wounded.

He became the 10th Baron Barnard when his father died in 1918, and so it fell to him, on December12, 1920, in St Mary's Church in Staindrop, to unveil the memorial which included the name of his elder brother.

The North-East At War: www.thenortheastatwar.co.uk

The Northern Echo's First World War website has now got 1,500 local soldiers listed on its searchable database. Many of the entries are from the brilliant work of Stephen Nicholson who has spent the last ten years tracking down details of the 1,000 Darlington men who died.

We also have had a couple of Teesside University interns, Lisa White and Rick Robson, who have begun the process of creating soldier profiles, often with pictures, from wartime copies of The Northern Echo and the Evening Despatch.

To see if your relative is there, or to see if men from your town or village or street laid down their lives in the First World War, go to northeastatwar.co.uk

Staindrop Remembers
Saturday, July 5
Noon to 4pm

St Mary's Church, Staindrop, with afternoon tea in the Scarth Hall. The exhibition features the stories of nearly all of the 219 Staindrop combatants in the First World War. It will remain in the church until August 2 when, at 7pm, a concert by Cockerton Silver Band will bring it to a close.