Praise for Halifax nurse who gave years to honour war dead

Thirty years ago Halifax nurse Margaret Stansfield began gathering the names of the men of Huddersfield who perished as a result of the First World War, not stopping until she had the biographical details of every one.

The quest took her across the battlefields and cemeteries of France and Belgium and involved hundreds of hours in the local library.

By the end she had the details of the lives and deaths of the 3,438 Huddersfield men - and one woman, a nurse who died on duty - who paid the ultimate price.

Sadly, Mrs Stansfield died in December 2012, aged 69, still waiting to see her work published.

The 528-page Huddersfield’s Roll of Honour 1914-1922 was launched yesterday at the town’s Drill Hall.

Widower Mr Stansfield said his wife’s enthusiasm for the project began with an interest in her grandfather, who went to war with a “wonderful singing voice” but never sang again after being gassed.

“Margaret decided she wanted to know what he had been through and off we went on a battlefield tour of the Somme.”

What they saw - huge memorials containing thousands of names - moved her to do more.

After a second tour, Mrs Stansfield told her husband she had to decided to do “a bit of research” - and 30 years later she was still doing it.

Mr Stansfield said his wife had left Huddersfield a “lasting legacy,” adding: “It will be there for future generations to never forget the immense human sacrifice this town made between 1914 and 1922.”

“Margaret’s wish had always been for a copy of her research to be available in Huddersfield Library, but for it to become a book is far, far better. She’d be absolutely bowled over by what has happened.”

Family and friends were among those who gathered for yesterday’s book launch.

The Stansfields’ god-daughter, Julia Barnes, of Halifax, paid tribute her: “She was a really humane person, having a background in nursing. She was also very thorough in her research, having a file for all of them.”

Local historian and retired teacher Dr John Hargreaves called the book a “very significant achievement” which would be invaluable to family history researchers and future historians.

As well as recording each death, the book also contains many exceptionally moving letters sent by the pals of dead soldiers.

In a foreword, Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, who is Colonel-in-Chief of the Yorkshire Regiment, said: “This publication represents the lifetime work of Margaret Stansfield, who sadly passed away at the end of 2012. Margaret spent 30 years compiling the 3,439 biographical entries giving a poignant insight into the background, working lives and families of those who selflessly left Huddersfield to fight for their country, never to return.

“Now these brave souls with be remembered in the pages of this book, researched, published and printed in the town they loved so dearly.”

* The book is published by University of Huddersfield Press, priced £20, with some proceeds going to the Royal British Legion.