THE true number of casualties suffered by the Accrington Pals in the Battle of the Somme will be revealed for the first time next year, it has been claimed.

Local historian Walter Holmes has spent more than 25 years researching the historic regiment’s involvement with the bloody battle almost 99 years ago.

Alongside the late Bill Turner, who died in 2007, Mr Holmes said he has shown war diaries written 100 years ago were wrong.

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He said: “I have finished Bill Turner’s work and the books have gone to the binders. 720 men went over the top – that was the fighting strength of the battalion.

“The casualty list, which said 584 were killed or wounded, in the war diary was way out and people have been using that ever since.”

Mr Holmes is remaining tight-lipped about the true figure, but said he had four 188-page A4 books bound.

Two will go to French mayors during a commemorative visit to the region on July 1, 2016, while the other two – printed on paper that cannot be photocopied – will be given to his daughters Alison and Catherine when he dies, he said.

Mr Holmes added: “The books in France will go to a museum or be locked away in a library.”

The books contain profiles of each Pal who suffered between July 1 and July 5, 1916, including where they lived, what they did for a living, their family history, how and where they died, and photographs.

Mr Holmes said: “When Bill was in hospital, one thing he didn’t know was how many casualties there were at the Battle of the Somme.

“So I set my stall out and starting going through all my files. I got as much as I could and printed it out.

“I was half way to hospital to give it to Bill when his daughter rang to say he had died.”

Mr Turner put the book away, before digging it out and adding information.

One such fact is the number of soldiers from Accrington killed or injured during the battle, which was 196, Mr Holmes said.

And 60 were given a silver war badge, which were handed to people who looked fit to fight but weren’t and had been discharged.

Mr Holmes said he has no plans to publish the book even on a one-by-one basis, but said he will announce the true casualties figure when the books are handed over in France next July.