Website charts village war effort

Wheatley Hill History Club has added a new section to its website, which is dedicated to the Great War.

The club has added First World War information to www.wheatley-hill.org.uk, thanks to a grant obtained through the County Durham Community Foundation from REG Windpower in High Haswell.

The site has been split into two key areas, an interactive map of the village in 1914, with a red poppy appearing on each house as the user zooms in, showing that a man left it to fight in the war.

Hovering over each of the poppies shows a list of the men, while clicking on their names brings up any further details and photos.

A search feature allows users to search extensive Great War data for specific men or streets.

The site was officially launched on Saturday at Wheatley Hill Heritage Centre.

Around 40 people attended the centre, which was also open that day as part of the national Heritage Open Days initiative.

Club members are asking for people to get in touch with any information about any of their relatives from the village who took part in the war.

Club chairman Margaret Hedley said: “The launch was good and we have had a lot of interest online since then.

“If anyone has any further information about people from Wheatley Hill who took part in the War, if they let us know, we can easily add it to the website.”

Anyone with information to add can email [email protected]