Historians have launched a campaign to ensure every serviceman from an area of Shropshire who lost their life serving their country are finally recognised on a village’s war memorial.

A search has been launched in Ruyton-XI-Towns to find names missing from the village’s war memorial in time for the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of the First World War in 2014.

Residents from the village need the information to help them create an historic booklet about those from Ruyton-XI-Towns who served in the two world wars.

Villagers Leslie and Irena White want the document to include details of the lives of the fallen so they can put it in the archives and keep the information safe for future generations.

The pair, who are active members of the village’s history society, have taken up the project with the aim of having it completed by 2014 when people will be remembering the start of the 1914-1919 war.

They are currently looking for names that have been missed off the village’s list in 1919 and 1945.

This Remembrance Sunday they plan to hand out leaflets to village churchgoers requesting help.

They already know of two men, Charles Henry Hanmer and Ernest Lloyd, who have war graves in the churchyard of St John The Baptist Church but are not on the memorial.

Also in the churchyard are brothers William Jones and Edward Jones thought to be from Platt Bridge and Allan Jones of Ruyton-XI-Towns.

Mrs White, who has been with the society for three years, said they had been looking at documents, censors and other records to research, and had also contacted the Royal British Legion.

She said: “What we hope to do is look at the names individually to get more background of their lives.

“This will be for the next generation. If we don’t do it, who will?”

There are a number of other names that the pair are also researching and people with any information about where they lived, what they did or their service careers, are urged to call Mr White on (01939) 262800.