HISTORIAN Richard Broadhead, who has battled for years to get recognition for some of Wiltshire's fallen who are not recognised by Commonwealth War Graves Commission, has now created an exhibition at Wiltshire Museum.

Mr Broadhead is the guest curator of To Mametz and Beyond, which remembers Wiltshire's missing at the Battle of the Somme. He is also to give a talk at the museum on November 12 to give people an insight into his research.

The talk will start at 2.30pm and costs £6.50 for non-members of Wiltshire Archaeological & Natural History Society and £4 for members.

His exhibition has been running for several weeks after being opened at private view by the leader of Wiltshire Council Baroness Scott.

Visitors can experience the sights and sounds of life in the trenches complete with sandbags, rats and poison gas. They also have the chance to explore the stories of Wiltshire's Missing.

Included in the exhibition are finds from excavations of Mametz Wood which have been loaned by Richard Osgood, senior archaeologist for the Defence Infrastructure Organisation.

Mr Broadhead has also set up a website, Wiltshire Soldiers, which allows people to search the records of more than 12,000 servicemen who lost their lives during or just after the end of the Great War.

Registration is free and people are able to search by name by town, village or memorial.

Mr Broadhead said: "Held within the database are service records, letters, newspaper reports, war diaries and in some cases photographs of the men and their graves.

"All service men are covered from the Army, Navy and Air Force and from all the countries from whom men contributed to the allied cause from Australians, New Zealanders, Americans, Canadians, South Africans and Russians.

"These men either died and are buried in Wiltshire or have evidenced connections with the county.

"The information is available in such a way that enables soldiers to be cross referenced by war memorial, village, town, city, county or even country."

Mr Broadhead has, for number of years, been researching casualties of the Great War and with the aid of his research he has written a number of books focused on Wiltshire towns providing detailed information on each casualty.

This includes next of kin information and details of how and where the men lived and died.

He said: "The research also includes details of over 60 Wiltshire men who at this time are not remembered by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, but I hope one day this will change."

Among those who Mr Broadhead managed to get acknowledged was Percy Little from Chippenham who was finally given a proper headstone last year.

At the time Mr Broadhead said: “It has taken so long to get to this point. He deserved a bit more, to be properly commemorated. We thought that it may never happen.

“The ceremony was really good. We had veterans, serving soldiers and family attend. We even had our bugle there. His great niece and nephew turned up to pay their respects. The whole thing was rather nostalgic.”

Private Little lived in Tugela Road, and fought in the First World War but was discharged after becoming ill. He subsequently died of TB in 1918 aged 25.

Originally his grave was unmarked until Mr Broadhead started a campaign for a headstone.