Article highlights war victims buried in borough's cemeteries

Some are soldiers who died after returning home - whether shortly after from injury or later on in life having survived the war.

But alongside them are some more unlikely victims of the war such Nursing Sister Mary Ann Allen from Tyldesley who contracted malaria whilst serving on the Mesopotamia front at the 33rd British General Hospital in Basra.

In Atherton cemetery is the grave of Bertha McIntosh who died from TNT poisoning contracted whilst working at a National Filling Factory in Morecambe making munitions for battle ships.

Hannah Turner, from Leigh local studies, has written an article about the people buried in the borough who died as a result of the war.

She said: "I find it really interesting and people don't realise how many people are buried here. They think of the war graves being abroad but many are not.

"I was able to do the article thanks to a fantastic group of volunteers who have gone through newspapers and taken out all the sections about the First World War."

Also mentioned in Hannah's article is Private Alfred Jackson. He was sent home after he was injured during the Battle of the Somme.

He died from the wounds he suffered and is buried in Tyldesley Cemetery.

"I was surprised about the people who died in the munitions factories. I came across it by accident online and there were three people from the borough who died from TNT poisoning," said Hannah.

"I have the death certificates for two of them but there are no records of an inquest or reports of the deaths.

"Bertha is named on Lowton and St Luke's war memorial which is great but I am not sure about the others."

The article has been published in the August-November issue of Past Forward, WLCT's First World War magazine, which is available from the borough's libraries, the Museum of Wigan Life, Wigan Archive Service at Leigh Town Hall and Leigh Local Studies.