Bronze plaques honouring a village's war dead will be rededicated tomorrow in one of the district's most poignant Remembrance Day ceremonies.

Representatives from the Royal British Legion, Burma Star organisation, Suez Veterans, naval and marine associations as well as the Royal Air Force and Artillery units are expected to turn out for the afternoon ceremony at Eccleshill War Memorial. This year's service will be even more moving as veterans gather to see the plaques stolen earlier this year now back where they belong.

In September thieves struck at the memorial stealing four of the First World War plaques, dedicated to 135 veterans, bolted to the stone statue.

Two other Second World War Rolls of Honour were damaged when the criminals tried to rip them off. Police suspected the thieves would take the plaques, each worth £500, to scrap dealers in a bid to have them melted down for cash.

Detectives put out an appeal to dealers to be on alert and Bradford Council parks managers were quick to investigate the cost of replacing the commemorative plaques vowing to have new ones in place for Remembrance Day But the police appeal worked and a scrap dealer from Laisterdyke got in touch after reading about it in the T&A, returning the plaques. It was the second time plaques had been stolen from the memorial. In 1987 two Second World War ones were taken and never found.

On Thursday workmen were at the memorial in Eccleshill's Stonehall Road putting back the plaques.

Bradford Council's war memorials officer Barrie Tinker said he was delighted about the happy ending.

He said: "There were some cracks and scrapes so we had to do work at our foundry to re-cast and refurbish them back to their former glory. We're absolutely delighted we've been able to do it in time for Sunday."

Sunday's service will be led by the Reverend John Hartley, vicar of nearby St Luke's Church.

Frank Dickinson, one of the ceremony's organisers and a member of Eccleshill History Group, said: "We are just so relieved to have the plaques back. We hope lots of people will come to see them and help us celebrate their return."

Mr Dickinson, who lives in the village, said he was particularly pleased to have the plaques back because two of his relatives were on them. His uncle, Frank Dickinson, who was awarded a medal in 1916 for braving No Man's Land, twice bringing back wounded pals to the trenches, is one of them. He returned to Eccleshill that year with injuries but turned down the chance to stay at home to return to the trenches in France where he was killed by a sniper in 1918.

Mr Dickinson's distant relative Gordon was also killed in action in 1917. His body was never found.

e-mail: kathie.griffths @bradford.newsquest.co.uk