THE war dead behind the names on a community's war memorial have been brought to life by the work of a local historian as villagers prepare to rededicate their cenotaph.

Clive Bowery, who has spent years in research, presented a talk at the weekend about the lives of the soldiers remembered on the Pelton Fell war memorial, in Pelton Fell, near Chester-le- Street.

The event was accompanied by an exhibition, which is on show in the Pelton Fell Community Centre this week.

A successful restoration campaign, led by memorial trustees Tom Storey, Susan Garrett and Jeanette Reid, was mounted after vandals tore one of the marble plaques from the side of the memorial's plinth, in May.

Mr Storey, who saw a group of youths running away from the scene, said: "We are delighted to have got this far, and have raised £1,300 toward the £7,000 needed to repair and renovate the plinth."

In his talk, Mr Bowery said the community had its own Saving Private Ryan scenarios, including the Dinning family, who lost sons Thomas and James, aged 22 and 23 respectively, on September 25, 1915, in the battle of Loos.

In a memoriam, their mother said: "They seemed so healthy and strong, I never thought that night they left home that they would never return."

The Dawson family lost three sons, Thomas, John and Robert, during 1916. They were remembered by brother Michael, who was still in Flanders - there is no record of him having died in the war.

A letter written by an officer to the mother of Private J Bland, who was killed by a rifle grenade, notes: "His death was instantaneous, a thing which is merciful, and which we have to be thankful for.

"He will be buried tomorrow, in a graveyard two miles behind the line where the grave will not be disturbed."

The Pelton Fell memorial was unveiled in 1922 by Sir Horace Plunkett and dedicated by the Bishop of Jarrow, Dr JN Kirk.

During research, Mr Bowery found that 19 names had not been included when, at some stage, one of the plaques was replaced.

They will now be included on the new plaque, bringing the number of First World War soldiers remembered to 134. He has also corrected errors found in the spellings of some of the names.

The memorial also contains the names of soldiers killed in the Second World War.

The rededication service will be held at War Memorial Park, in Station Road, Pelton Fell, at 11am, on Remembrance Sunday.