It was soon after the outbreak of the First World War that the 1/6th Battalion of the Lancashire Fusiliers set sail for the Middle East. This was a Territorial Army unit made up of roughly 500 men from Rochdale and 250 each from Middleton and Todmorden.

WW1 historians Ian Dawson, 44, and Martin Purdy, 41, have been researching the battalion (formed in 1908) for a new book and are now hoping that our readers can help them.

"This will be our second book - in the first we looked at the whole of the Great War through the eyes of our hometown, Middleton," explained Mr Dawson, who works for the Daily Express. "However, in writing that we picked up a great deal of information about this territorial battalion and decided there was a story that needed telling that focused specifically on their exploits; not least the horrors they faced at Gallipoli."

Mr Purdy, a newspaper editor, added: "We have already gathered a large number of photographs, letters and diaries from men who were in the battalion, but we feel sure that there are still a lot more out there gathering dust in Todmorden homes. We would love to hear from anybody in the local area who had a relative involved with the battalion who can help with items or memories."

The men of the 1/6th battalion had volunteered for overseas service as the heavy casualties being suffered in France and Belgium came to light.

However, when they set sail from Southampton in September 1914 they were not crossing the channel to Flanders but bound for more exotic climes in the Middle East; to initially protect the vital trade route of the Suez Canal in Egypt.

Within a matter of weeks the local papers were carrying pictures of their local lads posing in front of pyramids. It was an amazing story and must have seemed incredibly glamorous to their kin at home, not least as most of the soldiers had been working in mills and factories only a short time before.

"I went to the pyramids and the Sphinx last week. The largest is known as The Great Pyramid and is about as high as the distance between the Red Lion and the White Hart (pubs) at Birch," wrote one of the men.

Sadly, the sightseeing would soon be over and the terrible realities of hand-to-hand fighting against a tough and entrenched enemy would become all too clear.

The Turks had entered the war on the side of the Germans and the Allies decided to mount a knock-out blow on the Turkish capital of Constantinople (now known as Istanbul). A sea attack was planned, but the level of defences in the Dardanelles Straits soon showed that this was not going to be achievable without the support of infantry troops taking out fortified positions at the entrance to the seaway at Gallipoli.

Just weeks after the initial infantry landings the men from Todmorden found themselves being rowed ashore and thrown into the heat of battle.

"We travelled to Gallipoli earlier in the year to walk the ground and it was incredibly moving," said Mr Dawson.