A Hartlepool author is giving a voice to the town’s Second World War casualties through a new book.

Dennis Lendrem, who was born and raised in Wensleydale Street, Hartlepool, is documenting the civilians who died in Hartlepool and West Hartlepool during the 1939-45 conflict.

The book, titled The People's War: Civilian Life and Death in Hartlepool, 1939-1945, explores “tragic stories, unsolved mysteries” and a number of town bombings, including those in Church Street and Mainsforth Terrace.

Dennis, who is retired and lives in Northumberland, said: "Post-war, growing up in Wensleydale Street, the area was still full of reminders of World War Two.

Dennis Lendrem is writing a book documenting the civilians who died in Hartlepool and West Hartlepool during the Second World War.

placeholder image — Dennis Lendrem is writing a book documenting the civilians who died in Hartlepool and West Hartlepool during the Second World War.

"We played in bomb craters at the end of the street, bomb damage in Borrowdale Street and 'missing' houses in Brenda Road.

"There were road closures and calls to bomb disposal. Dire warnings not to touch anything on the beach.

"My mother told me of an air raid. She became separated from her older sister in Lynn Street.

"She was terrified and began crying. A man called waving her across the road and into the shelter. She tripped and fell as a bomb struck. She was unscathed but the man was thrown to the ground by the blast.”

Dennis, who has also written about the Bombardment of the Hartlepools during the First World War, has used public records and items from the Mail archives as part of his research.

He said: “Wartime censoring and reporting restrictions at the time mean there is limited published information.

"In some cases, entire families were killed and there were no surviving relatives to tell their stories.

"I wanted to capture the stories before they were lost forever.”