A WOMAN has uncovered 22 forgotten war heroes from a community war memorial.

Mavis Williams started researching war memorials in Deeside in 2011 because she wanted to find out more information about the soldier's lives and their stories during World War One.

She concluded her investigation in 2017 where she found an extra 22 names of soldiers who are not named on the memorial in Connah’s Quay and Shotton.

The researcher for the Connah’s Quay Interservices Committee said: “It’s amazing, I can’t get over it and I’m still in shock.

“There are so many stories and I’ve had so many lovely replies and made a lot of friends during the six years of research.

“I know the stories of the men behind most of the names, I’ve gone as far as I can get at the moment but I’m not giving up, if something comes up I won’t ignore it.”

Mavis was inspired by a friend to look into the soldier’s lives because she believes their story should be remembered.

The six-year investigation saw her researching memorials across the Deeside area and connecting with families along the way.

She originally wanted to create a book with the details about the lives of those lost, so they can be remembered forever, but said the problem with books is that you can't add to them.

The researcher has said she now hopes to get the funding for a new plaque or slate with the missing names, to be put with the current war memorial in Connah’s Quay, in time for the commemoration of the end of World War One.

She said: “I’ve done this all on my own and I wasn’t expecting so many people to be missing off the memorial and even people from France and the Netherlands are contacting me about my findings.

“I found out some really interesting stories, to think what they all have sacrificed, and you realise that these little villages gave up a lot.

“It would mean a lot to me and especially the families to get these names on the memorial as they should be remembered for their services.

“Doing something like this, you realise that the families have suffered greatly, and everyone has a story to tell.”

Mavis is now starting to look into the names on the memorial from World War Two and more information can be found on the website: https://www.flintshirewarmemorials.com/memorials/connahs-quay/.