MEMBERS of Keighley’s Salvation Army paid a heavy price for their bravery during the First World War.

Tricia Platts, secretary of Bradford’s World War One Group, has uncovered the fate of a number of Keighley men who served in the war and were also members of the Salvation Army.

In addition to serving as infantry or stretcher bearers, many Salvationists worked as volunteers throughout the war providing similar services as the YMCA.

Ms Platts recounts how in April 1915 the Keighley News reported the death of a local man under the headline “A Keighley Soldier Poisoned”.

This would be one of the earliest reports of death caused by a gas attack.

John Lyth of 2nd West Riding Regiment was from Oakworth Road and was well known as a member of Keighley Salvation Army Band.

During the first week of May 1915 a joint memorial service was held for John and Harold Bell, a fellow soldier and Salvationist.

The Keighley News described how “members of the corps gathered outside the house of Private Lyth and played the Dead March in Saul and later, forming into a procession, marched to the barracks on Market Street.”

Today, displayed on the wall of the Keighley Salvation Army Citadel, is a brass plaque with the names of nine men, all but one of whom played in the band.

Harold Bell was the son of Christopher Bell, a Salvation Army officer. Harold had been given the middle name of Mozart, although this does not appear on his Army documents.

The Duke of Wellington’s Regiment was the local regiment to Keighley and it seems the recruiting office in the town had been allocated a batch of service numbers. Therefore, several Keighley soldiers have numbers close together amongst which are no fewer than five names from the Salvation Army memorial plaque: John Thomas Powis 13944, William J Jakeway 14080, John Lyth 14100, John Lilley 14101, and Harold Bell 14159.

John Lilley died in November 1915 in Malta after being wounded at Gallipoli. John Thomas Powis survived Gallipoli but died on September 28 1916 in an attack on the Thiepval Ridge. His body was not recovered.

William Jakeway served in 10th Battalion of the Duke’s and was killed at Contalmaison, on the Western Front together with his Keighley comrade Robert Sugden.

Two Keighley Salvationists who were not in the Duke’s were Stanley Williamson (Royal Marine Light Infantry) and Walter Whitaker (8th Battalion, Durham Light Infantry).