MILITARY historians want to widen their coverage of Keighley’s First World War heroes.

The Men of Worth Project has highlighted the stories of more than 150 local folk in its weekly column in the Keighley News.

Over the past three years our journalists have turned research by the volunteer historians into articles about their lives – and in most cases deaths.

But the column has focused chiefly on men, particularly those in the army, for one overriding reason: the ease of finding suitable pictures.

Men of Worth member Andy Wade wants to showcase the bravery of every kind of person who helped Britain survive four years of war on the Home Front as well as the frontline.

Mr Wade said that when the idea was first suggested in 2013 he had not expected the column to run so regularly or for so long.

He said: “It's an honour to be able to highlight the lives of people who served and in many cases, gave their lives in the war.”

Mr Wade said that finding information on soldiers, sailors and airmen was relatively easy, but they needed good quality photographs too.

He added: “Nurses, and support workers such as munitions, camouflage and equipment makers are much harder to find.

“We hope that people reading this will come forward with photographs of their ancestors who served as nurses or in factories and we will be very pleased to research them.

“We know that Keighley supported the Great War effort in many ways through industry. Our town was a leader in food control methods, and the home of the first National Shell Factory to produce munitions components for the war effort.

“It was also a time where many women did work that was previously thought to be unsuitable for them. We firmly believe their lives and their efforts should be remembered.”

All people featured in the weekly column can be found at menofworth.org.uk/events/keighley-news, and most can be found on the Keighley News website.

People with information about any person in the First World War should e-mail andy@menofworth.org.uk or call 07792 665336.