A FORMER soldier with the Royal Hampshire Regiment is looking for the relatives of troops who died in the Great War.

Roger Coleman, 70, of Leybourne Avenue, Bournemouth, served with the Royal Hampshire Regiment for 30 years and has now dedicated his retirement to researching soldiers who died in the First World War.

Two stone tablets, headed Roll of Honour, engraved with 191 names, used to hang in the 5th/7th Hampshire Battalion Drill Hall on Holdenhurst Road, Bournemouth.

Now the drill hall is being redeveloped and the stone tablets have been removed but Mr Coleman has recorded the names and is trying to collect biographical information on the soldiers and officers listed.

He said: "There is a continued and growing interest in the First World War.

"I am hoping that I might be able to find some of their relatives who are still alive to find out more about them."

He said that the task is quite difficult because some of the names are spelt incorrectly, making it hard to identify the men themselves let alone their relatives.

The 191 men listed served with the Royal Hampshire Regiment between 1914 and 1918 and died in France, Flanders, Mesopotamia, India and some in Bournemouth.

Mr Coleman said: "Among them is Sergeant Sydney Allen Cheshire son of A J and Laura Cheshire of the Royal Arcade, Boscombe and husband of Lucy Cheshire from Canada.

"Cheshire, born in Croydon, had emigrated to Canada before the Great War as a civil engineer.

"Prior to emigrating he had been in the 4th and 7th Hampshire Regiment Territorials for six years and on arrival in Canada joined the local militia in Calgary.

"He was serving with C Company 49th Battalion Canadian Infantry when he was killed in an attack near Ypres on October 30, 1917.

"Having no known grave, his name is remembered on the Menin Gate."

Mr Coleman wants to hear from the relatives of other men listed on the tablets to find out more about their backgrounds and compile the details for publication.

He said: "It is 90 years ago when these men died and it is hoped that this research will keep their memory alive."

Anyone with any information should contact Mr Coleman on 01202 574099.

The 191 men listed on the stone tablets are: 7TH BN HAMPSHIRE REGT 1914-1918: ALLEN LJS Capt; ADAMS J Pte; ADEY CA Pte; ALSFORD R Pte; BLACK MCF Ltd; BARLETT WJ C/Sgt; BOYT CE LCpl; BEAK E LCpl; BURRY NR LCpl; BAKER FD Pte; BAKER R Pte; BARRETT SE Pte; BARTLETT EV Pte; BICKER EH Pte; BLANCHARD E Pte; BROWN AG Pte; BURNHAM Pte; BUTT R Pte; BAILEY LF Pte; BUNGAY J Pte; COTTAM MC Capt; CHESHIRE SA Sgt; CADDELL S LCpl; CHERRETT A LCpl; CHASE PF Pte; CHIVERS EW Pte; CHERRETT W Pte; CHRISTOPHER AW Pte; CLIFFE AE Pte; COLE HT Pte; COOPER CW Pte; COUZENS HG Pte; CULL H Pte; CHING W Pte; CUTHBERT Pte; COX Bdsm; DEAN Pte; DICKENS AC Pte; DICKENS CRL Pte; DOWDING J Pte; DUELL A Pte; DYKE PJ Pte; DOVE G Pte; EDWARDS D Pte; ENSOR D Pte; EVANS WJ Pte; ELCOCK WB Pte; FARMER Sgt; FORD RC Pte; FRANKS W Pte; GRANT RG LSgt; GEE FC DCM Cpl; GEE CW LCpl; GUNSTONE PF LCpl; GATES CH Pte; GERRY JE Pte; GILBERT W Pte; GILLETT A Pte; GRAHAM C Pte; GREENSLADE A Pte; GUNTON VH Pte; GOODENOUGH HE Pte; GILLINGHAM HG Pte; GIFFORD L Pte; GILMOUR WE Pte; HINE HBE Lt; HAWKER GV 2Lt; HEDDING JL 2Lt; HARDING GCN Sgt; HART E LCpl; HALL H Pte; HALLETT AT Pte; HAMES WJ Pte; HAMMETT JH Pte; HABGOOD FG Pte; HARRIS WG Pte; HAWKE Pte; HAYDON WG Pte; HILL FL Pte; HOBBS AE Pte; HOOK AE Pte; HUNT J Pte; HUNTROYDS G Pte; HYDE E Pte; HITCOCK H Pte; HOPKINS CF Pte; JACOBS C Cpl; JANES WJ Pte; JOLLIFFE ERJ Pte; JONES H Pte; KENNEDY EJ Rev Chaplain; KENNEY Pte; KING C Pte; LUKE GE Sgt; LANDER E Pte; LAURENCE FW Pte; LISTER JP Pte; LITTLEWOOD TH Pte; LOCKWOOD HJ Pte; MARSHALL H MC Lt Col; MARSH H LCpl; MARCHI GF Pte; MAINWARING HJ Pte; MAY EJ Pte; MEADUS L Pte; MINTY F Pte; MITCHELL C Pte; MITCHELL MA Pte; MOODY AD Pte; MOODY C Pte; NEW B 2Lt; NICKSON E Sgt; NASH CE Pte; NEWMAN Pte; ORAM GT Pte; PELFREY TW LCpl; PAGE H Pte; PARSONS T Pte; PHILLIPS A Pte; PHILLIPS FL Pte; PHILLIPS GH Pte; PHILPOTTS FW Pte; PLUMLEY RC Pte; POTTER HJ Pte; PRICE J Pte; PULLEYBLANK WE Pte; PURKISS RF Pte; POUNDS WA Pte; ROBERTS CJ Major; READ V DCM CSM; REID ER LCpl; READ H Pte; REED RR Pte; RICKETTS FG Pte; RICKMAN W Pte; REYNOLDS D Pte; RUDGE FJ Pte; SMITH SG TD Lt Col; SALMON LJ Sgt; SEAMAN F Sgt; SANDY JC Cpl; SHEARING EJL LCpl; SATTERLY A Pte; SAUNDERS MA Pte; SCAMMELL E Pte; SHARLEY TE Pte; SHIPP JH Pte; SIMMONS W Pte; SINGER T Pte; SINGLETON HF Pte; SINSBERRY JL Pte; SLACK W Pte; SOUTHAM A Pte; SPICER CJ Pte; STAGG H Pte; SLACK SC Pte; St JOHN S Pte; STREVENS AJ Pte; STEED NJ Pte; STONE AC 2Lt; STRIDE C Pte; SMITH E Pte; SQUIRES FC Pte; SHARP R Bugler; STEPHENS BE Dmr; TRIGG HFE 2Lt; TRASK W CQMS; TALBOT AJ Pte; TARRANT W Pte; THOMAS W Pte; THOMPSON HF Pte; THORNE F Pte; THORNER WJ Pte; THOMAS H Pte; THOMPSON P Pte; TURNER EG Pte; VEY W Sgt; VOSPER AG LCpl; WARR W CSM; WAKE F Sgt; WEBBER WE Sgt; WHITE J LSgt; WARDLE W Pte; WAY AF Pte; WHITE G Pte; WHITE S Pte; WHITE M Pte; WHITEHORN CG Pte; WOODS H Pte; YOUNG WH Sgt; ERRINGTON D CQMS.