A LOCAL military historian is to relate the tragic tale of Keighley’s deadliest street.

Andy Wade will tell how nine men from just one street in Parkwood died in the first three years of the First World War.

Mr Wade, a leading light of Keighley’s Men of Worth Project, will reveal the name of the street for the first time following his in-depth research into the ill-fated soldiers’ stories.

The talk, entitled One Street in Parkwood, will be given to Keighley and District Local History Society on Wednesday, February 14.

Mr Wade said: “The street may hold the rather tragic record of most men killed in the Great War.

“I will discuss the families who lived in the street, the relationships between some of them, and follow the fortunes of some of the men who went off to war.

“My talk comes about from references to the street (without specifically naming it) and my research has been aimed at discovering which street it was and the nine men from the street who had died in the war before the end of November 1916.”

Mr Wade will draw on a range of historical archives, including Keighley News reports during the First World War.

One Keighley News story reported the deaths of Lance-Corporals Charles Lowndes and Joseph William Tatton, who grew up next door to each other in Parkwood, in the same trench mortar explosion.

The newspaper poignantly related the “pathetic coincidence” of two patriotic boys in the prime of manhood who enlisted together and fought side-by-side through “bitter struggles and the arduous duties of trench life” and whose bond of friendship endured to the time of their death.Mr Wade’s talk will run from 7.30pm to 9pm in the Local Studies Room upstairs at Keighley Library, with access via the side door from 7pm.

Admission is £1 for members and £3 for non-members, including refreshments.

The talk is open to everyone, and people are invited to take along their photographs and memories of local men who served in any conflict so that Men of Worth volunteers can scan the photos for their extensive archive.

Photos will be returned immediately.