THE Prestonpans War Memorials Project is appealing for help in gathering information about the town’s ANZAC soldiers who served during the First World War.

The Australian and New Zealand Army Corp (ANZAC) was made up of many recent immigrants who volunteered for service.

The memorial project has identified several who were originally from the town or had links to the town and is looking for more details about them and any others who served.

Only two ANZAC soldiers’ names currently appear on the memorial.

One of them is James Arnot, whose family emigrated to Tasmania in about 1910 and whose father was a colliery manager in Prestonpans before they left.

James died from wounds he received during fighting in Gallipoli, Turkey, at the age of 23. Among his files are repeated references from his family to his name being mispelled; sadly, it is also spelt wrongly on Prestonpans War Memorial, with Arnot spelled ‘Arnott’.

The other name included is Arthur Baxter, who lived in New South Wales – his mother Margaret and sister Dorothy were listed as living in Prestonpans.

He was killed in action while fighting in France.

In both men’s cases, their families wrote to authorities in the years following their deaths attempting to have medals that were awarded to them passed on.

In the case of William Black, who was born in Prestonpans but lived in Queensland when he enlisted, the army was approached for another reason after he was listed as being medically discharged from service. Records revealed a woman contacted the army asking for his details as she believed he was the husband who had abandoned her before enlisting.

The files do not confirm if this was the case but suggest William lived into the 1950s.

The fate of another Prestonpans-born soldier, James Duncan, was also shrouded in mystery.

He was listed as missing in action in France, where some reports suggested he had been seriously injured, although his body was never recovered.

A Court of Inquiry finally ruled that he had been killed in action.

Robert Stewart, whose father James was a colliery manager in the town, is not included on the list of fallen on the war memorial, although at the time of his death it was reported that he was the first Prestonpans man of the Australian contingent to fall, aged just 22. His records reveal he was killed in action within days of initial landings on the Gallipoli Peninsula.

Anyone with information about those who served as ANZACs is asked to get in touch with the memorial project.

A spokesperson said: “Further research is required to provide a complete list of Australian and New Zealand forces personnel connected with Prestonpans who served or lost their lives during the First World War; this is an ongoing project.

“But already at least two more men have been identified who possess a strong claim to be included on a new war memorial in the town.

“Please get in touch with the project if you have information about these men or indeed any of the service personnel connected with the memorial.”

For more information, go to the project website prest onpanswarmemorials.word press.com