An ex-soldier has come to the rescue of three plaques which honour soldiers of the First World War and have been removed from a church.

Brian Sunderland is now aiming to get them re-located in Silsden Town Hall.

The plaques were housed in Silsden Methodist Church, which has been demolished to make way for a new chapel.

And the church council has voted not to put them into the new building.

“If I hadn’t fought for them, I don’t know what would have happened,” said the 76-year-old.

“I went berserk when I was told they didn’t want them. I couldn’t believe it. It’s sacrilege.

“The excuse was that there was no room for them. But there was room enough for them in the army and for some of them to die,” said Mr Sunderland, whose stepson, an ex-Para, is now working in security in Afghanistan.

“The council wasn’t sure what would happen to the plaques and mentioned they should go to a museum. I said they should be in the church. But they’d made up their minds.”

The three plaques are now being cared for by John Richardson and Chris Foster, authors of the on-line Craven’s Part in the Great War, and stored at McDowell’s Haulage, in Keighley.

Silsden Methodist Church minister the Rev Jacky Hale said the plaques had not been erected in the old church but just stored there.

“We had an open meeting in the church and Mr Sunderland added his point of view,” she said. “We had a vote and the decision was to accept the offer of the town council to re-house them in the town hall.

“I was surprised he has been in touch with the press after we had the open church meeting and he was allowed to put his points.”

She said the names would be recorded in a special book along with photographs of the plaques and placed in a prayer room. Mr Foster said there was a possibility of getting some financial help to relocate the plaques from the War Memorial Trust.

“We feel strongly about this because in our research for the website we have seen many war memorials in various states of repair,” he said.

“These plaques need to go back to a place where the people of Silsden can see them. That’s very important.”

Silsden town mayor Councillor Alan Edwards said they were seeking permission from Bradford Council to put them up in Silsden Town Hall.

“I have mixed feelings. I think they should have been left in the church but if that isn’t possible then we would welcome them in the town hall,” he said.

The large plaque contains the names of soldiers who were killed and those who served and survived. The two small plaques are of men who died.

Silsden lost 105 men in the 1914-18 war.