A FORMER Alcester Grammar School pupil has penned a memorial novel on the men of Studley who died during the First World War.

Arthur Cooke wrote the book entitled In Memory of 100 Studley men who gave their lives in World War One as he wanted to humanise those who died.

Mr Cooke has always had an interest in history in this area and regularly contributes to Alcester’s Local Past and the Studley Historian.

He was a resident of Studley until age 19 and was also educated at Redditch Technical College and the University of Essex.

Mr Cooke said: “I wanted to personalise them, from the name and initial into a real person.

“I wanted to know their Christian names, the names of their parents, their wives, brothers and sisters and I wanted to know how and when they died.”

During his research, Mr Cooke often visited the Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red exhibition at the Tower of London, each time seeing the number of ceramic poppies increase until it reached 888,246, the number of commonwealth casualties of the First World War.

Karen Cording of Nonnykettle Books in Redditch arranged for the book to be published. Copies can be purchased by sending a cheque for £4 inclusive of postage, made payable to Karen Cording to 29 Hillmorton Close, Church Hill North, Redditch, Worcestershire, B98 9LX.