MANY local families lost someone in the first world war, and in some cases whole areas were devastated by the numbers of those who did not return.

One of those was St Luke's parish, Bolton, where the names of 120 men appear on the parish war memorial.

Now a community-based exhibition focusing on the fates of those men and their families is to be held at St Luke's Church, Halliwell, which will be open to the public.

Among them, for example, was William Davies, who married at St Luke's in July, 1914, aged 28. His bride was Margaret Alice Whiteside, and they were both mill workers. In September, 1917, William was conscripted into the army, and sent to France the following August as reinforcement for the 10th Battalion, the Lancashire Fusiliers.

On September 18, the Battle of Epehy began. William's battalion was to be in the first wave of the attack when it began at 5.20am. The men went over the top and at first were met with considerable German machine gun fire. However, half an hour later they had secured their objective and had captured many prisoners.

The battle was a considerable success, and William survived; two days later, though, he was killed in a minor follow-up operation. After learning of William's death, Margaret went to live back with her parents at 110, Hatfield Road.

William was one of the 9,000 British and Commonwealth soldiers who died in the final offensive that ended the war and have no known grave. They are all commemorated on the Vis-en-Artois Memorial in France.

The exhibition (which runs from Thursday, November 8 until Saturday, November 10 (from 10am until 4pm) and Sunday, November 11 (1pm to 4pm) will feature:

A display telling the stories of the men who died, where they lived and worked as well as the circumstances of their deaths.

A display of photographs of the parish from the beginning of the last century. These are contrasted with pictures of the same areas today.

A selection of artifacts contributed by local museums as well as local people.

The opportunity for visitors to use computers to search the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Register for friends or family members who may have died in either World War.

"We could have put the exhibition on in Bolton Museum, but we felt that it was more important to hold it in the same community that those men left behind them", says one of the organisers, Mr S.M. Irwin. "Bolton Museum have been very helpful and are supporting the exhibition with advice, display cases, and they are providing staff for the two week days. On the Saturday and Sunday, volunteers will staff the exhibition.

"By its very nature, the exhibition will be poignant, but we hope it will open a window on a fascinating and tragic period. We are all aware of the impact of the war at a national level, but the intention is to provide an insight into the impact of the war on a local, Bolton, community."

On the Saturday evening at 7pm, there will be a joint Service of Remembrance at St Luke's for the three local churches, and on Sunday, November 11 at 10.45am, St Luke's will hold its usual Service of Remembrance.