Exploring untold stories of war and the Yorkshire men behind medals
A vast treasure trove of human stories behind Yorkshire's war medals is being explored to uncover a rich thread of incredible history.
Heritage Doncaster is home to a museum and archive for the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry (KOYLI) collection. Now thanks to nearly £100,000 funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, volunteers delve deeper with a new research and collections centre.
It makes a space for a "huge" archive filled with documents and photographs, to be scanned and digitised, or exploring soldiers' medal sets for family research.
As this week marks Volunteers' Week, the efforts of those who give their time is honoured, having dedicated over 1,500 hours in the past year alone. Even though the project wraps up this summer, all have now chosen to continue.
David Wroe, a volunteer and trustee as well as a veteran of the regiment, said the more he uncovers, the more he wants to learn. When he joined the Army, there were a great many traditions and rites that were shared, by word of mouth, such as a toast they would hold in the officer's mess.
"At the research centre, I found I knew very little," he said. "It produces so much more. Knowing the history is important for our future."
KOYLI was a light infantry regiment of the British Army, amalgamated in 1968 to form The Light Infantry - and later The Rifles in 2007.
Its collection, based at Danum Gallery, Library and Museum and Doncaster Archives, spans from its earliest days in the 1750s, and has been on display since the 1980s. Here there are photographs and weapons, uniforms and medals, showcasing the true adventures of Yorkshire soldiers and their families both in peace time and in war.
Now volunteers, veterans and young carers explore the hidden stories of those who served, from Waterloo to the Second World War.
Collections officer Lynsey Slater said it is really "valuable" to learn more about the people behind the medals: "There are some amazing, true stories of bravery on the frontlines and gallantry medals, or uncovering where someone went to school and what job they did."
And Mr Wroe, who joined the King's Own in 1966 and later in the reserves, said he has been struck to discover the family connections.
"Not only have we lost the name of a fine Yorkshire regiment, but we have also lost these family connections," he said. "Those same names keep going, from the trenches of the First World War to their sons and nephews who enlisted.”
Mr Wroe was to rise to the rank of Major and was awarded an MBE, later serving as a deputy lieutenant for West Yorkshire. Now, he finds, he cannot stop exploring more. Society needs these stories, of lives lost on the Somme or to infections in the trenches.
"The youngsters need to know," he said. "We can't forget what's happened in the past."