War stories: Reay School pupils honour lost heroes

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-29618775

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Pupils at Reay Primary School in the far north of mainland Scotland have researched the names on their local war memorial.

The monument in Reay, a small community near Thurso in Caithness, lists the names of soldiers and sailors with connections to village and surrounding area who lost their lives in the world wars.

They include men who died in World War One's battles in France and Belgium, and others who perished in Sicily, Libya and Burma in World War Two.

The children have written and illustrated a book called Reay's Lost Heroes.

Using official records and newspaper stories at the time, the pupils have told the story of the memorial and recounted stories of the men whose names are engraved on it.

Some of the children have family connections to the war dead.

Reay's monument is one of more than 160 war memorials in the Highland Council area.

The local authority has started a process of repairing and improving many of them in time for 2018's 100th anniversary of the end of World War One.