Wigan and Leigh Archives Online

Wigan Soldiers and Sailors Comfort Committee

The records listed below give details of the names and military service details of two groups of men from Wigan and district who served in the First World War; men who were taken prisoner and men who died in service.

The first (number 1-73) list gives details of those men taken and detained as prisoners of war in Germany during the conflict. These names were taken from the original prisoner of war postcards that can be viewed at the Archives Service. The cards were sent by the Wigan and District Soliders and Sailors Relief Committee, alongside relief parcels for the men held prisoner.

The second (number 73-312) lists those men for whom an application was made, by a family member, to receive a relief parcel from the organisation. The comforts received by the men might include tobacco, chocolate, socks and other small items.

The third (number 1-167) lists the names of men who died on service during the conflict; their names were given following a request for this information by the Wigan Observer newspaper, in an effort to gather an accurate list of names to provide these details for the Wigan War Memorial Committee. These names were taken from the letters and notes supplied to the committee and the original records (some with additional information) can be viewed at the Archives Service. The list gives the name of the individual and Copies of the documents can be provided by the Archives Service for a small charge. Please contact the Archives for more details.

The linked lists were produced on behalf of the Archives Service by Gordon Rigby, Archives Volunteer.