A local history group plans to add scores of names missing from a World War I memorial, for this year’s centenary of the Great War.

Three years of research by the Crickhowell District Archive Centre has discovered 105 names of men which have gone a century without recognition, until last year’s publication of the book ‘Young Men, To Arms!’.

The group is now proposing to rectify the omission with a new stainless steel plate containing 38 missing names, to be added to the town’s current memorial.

“It is necessary to give the public the opportunity to consider this proposal and raise any issues which might arise,” said Geoff Williams, Trustee of the group.

Due to parish administrative changes in 1974, many names have been missing from records.

“A visitor to the district war memorial on Beaufort Street, Crickhowell, today will see only 68 names listed for World War I, alongside the 35 who were killed in World War II,” said Mr Williams.

“These figures are misleading, for the loss of life in the First World War was proportionately very much greater. The prime reason for this is that whereas the Second World War district list contains 13 names from the villages of Llanelly Hill, Clydach and Gilwern of Llanelly, the parish with the highest population, no men from these villages are included on the World War I list.”

When the World War I plate is replaced, it is also proposed to undertake a general renovation of the memorial in time for the Centenary celebrations in November, using funds set aside for such work by Powys County Council.

The book ‘Young Men, to War!’ is available at £10 from the Crickhowell District Archive Centre or from Crickhowell Resources and Information Centre.