The mystery surrounding Silsden's lost roll of honour has been solved - and it wasn't missing after all.

Silsden parish council appealed through the Keighley News for help in finding the missing book which contains the names of the town's servicemen and women. A similar book has been held at St James's Church but it was not thought to be the one the parish council was looking for.

However, following an investigation by parish council vice-chairman Michael Elsmore, it has been discovered that the book in the church is actually the 'missing' roll of honour.

"There appears to have been a misunderstanding," says Cllr Elsmore. "How and when it came to be in the church's possession I don't know."

He thinks the book may have been given to the church for safe keeping when the former urban district council was disbanded in 1974. Its absence only came to light after parish councillors decided the cabinet which they thought held the book should be put back on public display. The cabinet has been gathering dust in the council chamber in the town hall for many years.

It was suggested the book may have been on display in the town's library but Bradford council, which runs the library, had no record of a Silsden roll of honour. Past and present librarians questioned whether the book even existed.

Several people contacted the Keighley News to say they recalled the book being on display in the reading room in the old library in the town hall.

The book's future will be discussed at Thursday's parish council meeting when Cllr Elsmore will propose its safe keeping, its insurance and its being put on display to the public. "It's a beautiful book and should be there for all to see," he says.

Until its future is decided, the book has been locked away for safe keeping.

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