HORLEY'S fallen heroes will be remembered in a special book marking the anniversary of the First World War.
Ahead of next year's centennial – which will mark 100 years since the conflict began – amateur historian Doug Cox is compiling a book commemorating the 122 men from Horley who lost their lives in the conflict.
Each man's name is carved on the war memorial in Memorial Gardens, Brighton Road, and now each will have a page of the book dedicated to his memory.
"It will be a special memorial for them," said Mr Cox, who began the book as a labour of love.
"If you go anywhere in the Commonwealth, or France, or anywhere with a battlefield, then there is, without exception, a book where they list the names of the fallen. It tells you who they were.
"All these poor men have got at the moment is their name carved into stone."
While utilising the Commonwealth War Graves website and speaking to various regiments has thrown light on most of the men behind the names, two still have Mr Cox stumped.
Frank Mills and Frank Cooper – not to be confused with Private Francis Hezekiah Cooper – both remain mysteries.
"I started with the 1911 census," Mr Cox said. "In most cases the regiments kept pretty conclusive records, sometimes they had war diaries.
"If the diary says 'there were three killed today among men sent on a working party', and you know the dates match, then you can be sure that's how your man died."
Mr Cox is a former Reigate and Banstead borough councillor who decided to indulge a lifelong passion for military history when he retired from the motor trade.
Though he has visited battlefields around the world, he said digging up personal stories could be harrowing.
He told the Mirror: "There are some horror stories, really terrible.
"One lad was on a warship and someone put cordite [an explosive] against the boiler room wall. The wall got hot and it exploded, killing everyone on board."
The book was commissioned by Horley Town Council and will be on show at Horley library, in Victoria Road, next year.
If you have information on anyone listed on the memorial, especially Frank Mills and Frank Cooper, call town council clerk Alan Jones on 01293 784765.
