A VILLAGE society is appealing for information about soldiers who are missing from a village WW1 memorial.

Research by the Datchet Village Society (DVS) has uncovered 34 soldiers with Datchet connections who died in the conflict, but for various reasons are not listed on the memorial. The DVS is hoping to put their names on the memorial in time for this year’s centenary commemorations in November.

Alison Crampin, who has been leading the WW1 research, said: “It’s important that the local community knows about the proposed additions so that people can comment and add information before any work begins. One of the missing soldiers has descendants in the village, and we’re keen to find out if others do, too.”

There have never been any national rules on the requirements to be listed on a war memorial, meaning individual towns and villages were left to decide what the criteria were. The Datchet War Memorial Committee, founded in 1919 to decide who would be listed on the memorial, tended towards stricter criteria, only listing solider who had homes in Datchet, and ignoring the sons of Datchet residents who had later moved away.

Ms Crampin explained: “The compilation of a definitive war roll was eventually abandoned and the criteria for inclusion were relaxed. The incomplete roll records the names of 350 men, and includes some who weren’t living in Datchet when they enlisted. It also includes casualties who are not remembered on the memorial, and omits others who are.”

The research has proven difficult, as a large number of WW1 records were destroyed by a later 1940 bombing raid.

Ms Crampin said 12 of the missing 34 soldiers should have been considered eligible for inclusion on the memorial, details of which have been published on the DVS website.

Ms Crampin said: “Even if we add a dozen names to the memorial, we still won’t be able to say that we have a definitive list - but at least we’ll be a step closer to remembering all of Datchet’s fallen WWI soldiers.”

To contact the DVS with any information, visit: www.datchetvillagesociety.org.uk