After a Remembrance Sunday parade in 2011, two Llanidloes historians decided that more needed to be done to keep alive the memory of the men recorded on the town’s War Memorial.

Nia Griffiths and Nick Venti have delved into the histories of the 115 men on the Cenotaph and produced biographical notes for each one.

Eight years on, the project is almost complete, and they are putting a book together to share the research with everyone.

“Though many families seek to keep the memory of their ancestors alive, 100 years after the ‘Great War’ wider knowledge of who the men were and what they experienced is all but lost,” the duo said.

To mark the publication of ‘Llanidloes and District in the Great War’, five friends embarked on an epic 45-mile walk around Llanidloes and the surrounding villages of Llandinam, Trefeglwys and Llangurig.

Mr Venti wrote a history post where each of the men lived and worked with their names and biographies. Some of the men enlisted in the far-off territories of the British Empire, others in local towns. They fought on the Western Front and in lesser known places like Gallipoli, Palestine, Salonika and Iraq.

Paul Avery, Paul Jones, Wendy Abel, John Dunkley and Stephen Mills completed a 24-hour challenge after returning at the Cenotaph on October 12. It also marked the launch of the town’s 2019 Poppy Appeal.

Ms Griffiths and Mr Venti also feature in a newly-released video on YouTube about Llanidloes’ First World War walks.

In the video by the Powys War Memorial Project, Ms Griffiths said: “I think it’s very good to remember the First World War.

“We think that this project is great because it’s making communities look at their war memorials again and to think about who are the people behind these names. It’s very important.”

She added: “There was a whole generation of community leaders that was wiped out on two key days. It would have been a huge shock to everyone living here.”

To pre-order a copy of the book, which will be available at £15, fill out a form at the Great Oak Book Shop.