THE spa town of Ilkley is a popular tourist destination famous for its moor and literature festival. It is less known as a town with a rich military history.

But by 1914, army camps were a familiar sight along the River Wharfe and with the arrival of Belgian refugees, wounded soldiers and regiments from Leeds, many of the hotels and halls were adapted for new purposes. The war affected everybody through absence or loss of loved ones and changing political and social circumstances.

While those at home reacted to the challenges of this momentous time, Wharfedale men served in all of the major battles on the Western Front. Among these men were the Ilkley Territorials, a Howitzer Battery who served together throughout the war and kept detailed diaries of their experiences.

Now a new book has been published - Ilkley and the Great War - in which authors Caroline Brown and Mark Hunnebell document the impact the First World War had on Ilkley and its residents using old photographs, newspaper articles and heartfelt diary entries.

Caroline, a librarian and author, said the inspiration for the new book came from a project to research names on a Roll of Honour with teachers and students from Ilkley Grammar School to mark the Centenary of the First World War using resources in the Ilkley library.

"Whilst remembering those who died serving their country we recognised also what a massive impact the war had on those at home and on those who returned," she said.

"Reading letters, diaries and newspaper accounts was a revelation, showing how closely the experiences of those serving overseas were interlinked with those at home."

While Caroline was already the author of a book about World War Two 'Ilkley at War' Mark, a local historian, was author of a book on the history of White Wells 'That Place on Ilkley Moor'.

Mark said: "I am interested in the history of Ilkley generally and the 20th century particularly. And with the centenary of the First World War being marked nationally, it seemed opportune to combine our interests and research the impact of the conflict on both the local men who became involved in it and the affects on the town, with the arrival of Belgian refugees and wounded soldiers, rationing and the threat of air raids."

Their year-long research involved a painstaking search of local history archives, including the Ilkley Gazette, collating, typing up and editing the amassed information. They then had to consider the best way to present it.

Caroline said: "The actual writing of the book had to be done in around four months to get it out in time which was quite a challenge to say the least!"

The fruits of their labour was published on December 15, by Amberley Publishing and the pair are thrilled with the results.

"It's wonderful to see it in print and Amberley have done a great job," said Caroline. "It's very rewarding to see the pieces of the story come together along with the wealth of images, many of them from Sally Gunton's amazing collection.

"The First World War affected cities, towns and villages across the world. I hope the book will show Ilkley's unique story and shed new light on those momentous days through the words of the people who lived in those times."

Mark said: "It is great to see the fruits of our labours published in the tangible form of a book after all the work that has gone into producing it. The "eventually" becomes real at that point!

"It is also satisfying to know that we are contributing something back to the local history archive for the benefit of future generations as well.

"Ilkley's rise to prominence as a 19th century spa town is well documented and a great deal is known about the Victorian era through many excellent books on the subject.

"However, there is less written about Ilkley in the 20th century. I hope that as well as an appreciation of how the First World War affected Ilkley and its people, the book will also foster an interest in local history amongst today's generations and encourage a consideration of who was walking our familiar streets a hundred, seventy five or fifty years ago, and what was going on in the town."

Ilkley and The Great War by Caroline Brown and Mark Hunnebell, is published by Amberley Press, price £12.99.