A NEW book which tells the stories of soldiers who died during the First World War will be on display at the Army Reserves Centre.

Corporal Stephen Davies and his wife Kerryann researched the lives of 43 members of the Royal Wessex Yeomanry killed during the conflict.

Cpl Davies said: “Kerryann has always been big on researching personal histories because she’s done it for her own family.

“It was enlightening to see how many details you could discover about each of the 43 people that were named on a ledger we found. This book is a one-of-a-kind thing, it’s outstanding.”

Mrs Davies said: “It was nice to be able to do something like this on a larger scale and I would like to do more projects like it in the future.”

The project marks the 125th anniversary of the founding of the Yeomanry and was completed just in time to coincide with Army Reserves Day, which is tomorrow.

The book will be displayed on a plinth under the portrait of Quartermaster Joseph Moore in the Army Reserve Centre’s museum .

It was first revealed while neighbouring GWR Park hosted celebrations for Armed Forces Day.

Regimental sub unit support officer Mark Denman said: “The concept came about last year during the First World War centenary. We thought we were at risk of losing first-hand information about the war from people who were there and wanted to make a record for future generations.

“There have been quite a few surprises - when reservists were injured overseas, a lot of effort was made to bring them back to the UK, so many died in Swindon and their graves are local.

“The reserve units were split into three - the fittest soldiers went to the front lines in France, the second group went to Ireland and the rest went to Tidworth.”

While remembering the past, the force is keen to also focus on the new troopers that are taking the squadron forward into the future.

Susanne Matthews, 28, said: "I always wanted to join the army so when I came back from uni I decided to join the reserves.

"My civilian job is not military at all so it's really interesting to train in becoming a medic and technician here during my spare time.

"I have a 14-month-old baby, Arabella, and the regiment were really supportive of that, they allowed me to still be included while I was pregnant.

"You meet so many different types of people with different skill sets who you wouldn't normally get the chance to meet during civilian life, it's great

Nathan Berryman, 21, said: "Members of my family have always been affiliated with the armed forces and I've always had an interest in joining. The benefit of being a reservist is you can do the best of both worlds.

"I work for the Ministry of Defence so I'm involved in procuring the equipment that I've used in my two-and-a-half years of training here.

"It's increased my ability to communicate and my confidence, it's taught me to come out of my shell and learn courage, respect and discipline."

Adam Gray, 27, said: "I've gone through as many courses as possible since joining last August and want to complete the gunner course and do live-firing like Trooper Berryman.

"My grandfather was a paramilitary and I wanted to be part of the army but also do other things -I work as a garden keeper on a golf course and as a part-time arborist.

"I joined because I spoke to Trooper Chick, he put the idea into my head."

Edwin Chick, 33, said: "I was working for the civil service and I'd always wanted to join the army since I was a kid but never got around to it.

"During an Armed Forces Day, they asked if I was interested in the reserves and I said yes - four years later, here I am.

"I've got dyspraxia and this has really helped build my confidence and feel less like an outcast, it's been a great experience."