AN appeal has been made to trace the relatives of three North Yorkshire men who lost their lives in the First World War.

Local historian Richard Young discovered through researching his book "The History of Wrelton", that there were three men from the village who died during the conflict but that there was no war memorial to them in the village.

Richard, who lives in Wrelton, said: "Their names do appear on the war memorial on the wall of the Memorial Hall in Pickering and also on a plaque in St.Andrew's Church, Middleton along with others from Middleton and Aislaby but not Wrelton's.

"We thought that we should have a memorial in Wrelton itself and one of the Woodcarvers Group who meet weekly in our Village Hall has carved a plaque that we plan to unveil in the Village Hall on November 10, Remembrance Sunday.

"Six descendants of one of the men are attending but we have not been able to trace any descendants from the other two."

Albert William Shaw was born in Hull in 1888 to John and Eliza and married Lydia Ringrose in Middleton in 1913. They had a daughter called Phyllis in 1915 and she became an orphan in 1919 after the deaths of her mother in 1918 and her father in 1919. She was brought up by her grandmother Annie Ringrose in Wrelton and married Frank Hudson in York in 1937. We don't know if Phyllis and Frank had any children or grandchildren. Phyllis died in York in 1983. Albert died as a result of his wounds in February 1919 and has a Commonwealth war grave in St.Andrew's Churchyard, Middleton.2

Aubrey Adams was born in Lingcroft, near Naburn, York in 1893 to Thomas and Elizabeth. He was one of seven children and he was not married at the time of his death in April 1918. He is buried in France. His siblings were Edward (b. 1873) Albert (b.1879) George (b.1881) Eleanor (b.1895) Lucy (b.1896) and Thomas (b.1902). Eleanor married George Charlton in Middleton in 1922 and they had a daughter called Hilary who was born in 1923 and who married Reginald Redgate in Ryedale in 1943. They had two children Carol (b.1944) and George (b.1947) both born in Ryedale. At the time of his enlistment his parents were living in Aislaby and they stayed in the area until their deaths in 1930 and 1935 and are buried in St.Andrew's churchyard.

Michael Edward Allan was born in Wrelton in 1884 to Tom and Sarah Allan and married Alice Hill at St.Gregory's Minster in 1911. They had two daughters Mabel, born in 1911 and Doris, born in 1913. Michael also had a step daughter called Beatrice born in 1907. Michael had four brothers and one sister.

Michael was killed on the Somme in September 1916 and is buried in France.

Michael's family moved to the Middlesborough area prior to the First World War and his daughters possibly settled there.

Richard said: "It is descendants from Michael's siblings that we have managed to trace and three great-nephews and two great-nieces and one great-great niece are coming along on to the unveiling.

"I would also like to trace any great-grandchildren of Michael Edward Allan, any children or grandchildren of Phyllis Hudson (nee Shaw) the daughter of Albert William Shaw and any descendants of Carol and George Redgate, the grandchildren of Aubrey Adam's sister Eleanor."

Anyone who can help should email Richard at helenyoungy52@hotmail.com or phone 01751 473841.