ASPIRING historians from a Truro secondary school have issued an appeal for artefacts that might help them with a First World War-related competition.

Penair School students have entered the Malcolm Doolin Award for Local History Research 1914-1918, run annually for primary and secondary school pupils by the Western Front Association.

Led by history teacher Tina Turuelo, the Beneath the Battlefield project aims to tell the stories of Cornish men linked to the war and to the later 1919 Levant mining disaster.

“A significant amount of military action took place underground on the Western Front,” Mrs Turuelo explained. “Miners were recruited from key areas including Cornwall and Lancashire, specifically for skills such as being able to use explosives underground, and being comfortable working in tight spaces.

“Some men returned from the war, only to die in the Levant mining disaster of 1919 when the Man Engine failed.”

Students applied to work on the project in summer 2025, explaining why history mattered to them. The 14 selected started working in September. They have since made several visits to Kresen Kernow, where they have learned about family history and examined Census records.

They have also taken out of the archive a set of artefacts donated by the French family, including medals and trench diaries which were written on the battlefield and are small enough to fit in the breast pocket of a soldier’s uniform.

The team is now looking for relatives of a list of men who were sent to the Western Front.

“We’re hoping they might have stuff stashed away in a loft somewhere and would be interested in seeing it exhibited,” Mrs Turuelo continued. “Photos are an absolute boon. They can be problematic because people often don’t keep them, or they get damaged or destroyed. If inherited, some people might not even know they have them. So we’d love to track down family members, or local organisations that have resources or exhibition space we can use.”

The competition will be judged in June. The material will be exhibited at public-facing events this autumn.

The group is urgently seeking records, photos, letters, medals, diaries or contact with descendants of the following:

• Edwin Francis Pascoe. Born Colorado, USA in 1897, with family from St Just. Edwin died in the Levant mining disaster in 1919.

• James Vingoe Trembath. From St Just – James also died in the 1919 Levant mining disaster.

• Leonard Semmens. Born in the Penzance area in 1894, one of nine children - four brothers were miners. Leonard also died in the 1919 Levant mining disaster.

• John Paynton Ninnes, born Manaccan, 1896. He was taken prisoner-of-war in 1918, but was freed and died in 1979.

• Richard John Rolling. Born Falmouth, 1899; died March 23, 1916. Richard is buried at Cambrin in northern France. His family have no surviving photographs; any images or unit photos from the 251st Tunnelling Company would be invaluable.

• John French. Born Redruth 1893, spent time in Arizona after 1912, died in Porthtowan in 1929 of tuberculosis.

Anyone who can help should email [email protected]