A HANDWRITTEN card containing the burial details of a First World War soldier proved the starting point for a major community research project.

Amateur historian Bill Gray enlisted friends and neighbours in Sacriston to help find out about the card, which had been in his care for 20 years.

The group began researching the lives of other people in their community during the war and eventually staged an exhibition showcasing their findings.

Now their efforts will be preserved online after they donated the contents of the exhibition to the Durham at War.

The Northern Echo: STARTING POINT: Card containing burial details for Bugler Albert Victor Lamb sent by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission to Bglr Lamb’s family.
STARTING POINT: Card containing burial details for Bugler Albert Victor Lamb sent by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission to Bglr Lamb’s family

The lottery-funded website, run by Durham County Record Office, was launched a year ago to map the story of County Durham during the First World War.

Mr Gray said: “I’m really pleased that the record office has agreed to take on our collection and add it to Durham at War. It’s good to know that what we have done is going to be there for time immemorial.

“I would hate the thought that it was going to sit in a cupboard for years and not be seen by anyone so it’s great that it’s going to be there for future generations.”

The group included residents Ralph Harrison, Janet Bradley and Gary Meek, supported in their work by Malcolm Smith of Chester-le-Street Heritage Group.

Their investigations revealed that the card contained the burial details of Bugler Albert Victor Lamb, who was killed by a mortar shell on June 27, 1916.

He was buried at Ridge Wood Military Cemetery in Belgium and the card would have been sent to Bugler Lamb’s family by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

The group also discovered that Bugler Lamb is buried just a short distance from his 8DLI comrade William Pickering, a neighbour in Sacriston. The pair died just 13 days apart.

The collection, which was on display in Sacriston Workingmen’s Club, includes newspaper cuttings, photographs and other documents chronicling village life during the war.

It also includes a street map featuring the names of the fallen and where in Sacriston they lived.

There is also information about the 600 medallions, commissioned by residents and presented to Sacriston villagers who went to war to commemorate the bravery of those who served.

Gill Parkes, principal archivist at Durham County Record Office, said: “The exhibition represents a fantastic effort by members of a fairly small community.

“The material the volunteers have collected clearly demonstrates that there was a very strong sense of community in Sacriston during the war years.

“This commitment to looking after one another is representative of so many villages in the county at the time.”

The material will be uploaded to the website www.durhamatwar.org.uk over the coming weeks.