CAN anyone help us with an 86-year-old mystery? Lying in our local graveyard in Cheslyn Hay is the body of a young man from York.

This is all we know about him. A body of a soldier was discovered in the "razza" (razza means reservoir) at Cheslyn Hay that subsequently turned out to be that of Pte William Parnaby of the West Yorkshire Regiment stationed at Brocton (Cannock Chase in Staffordshire).

He was married with one child living in York and had been called up only two weeks before his death. He wandered out of his camp on July 7 (1916) and was never seen alive again.

William Parnaby, 38, obviously came from a moneyed family because he was set up in business to run a commercial hotel which failed and then he entered the drapery trade.

Our local paper reported: "William Parnaby was given a full military funeral with honours. More than 1,000 people attended the funeral parade in Cheslyn Hay, including a contingent of soldiers from his regiment and all the pupils of the Cheslyn Hay Girls' and Boys' School to line the route.

"This is where his final resting place is, because his family did not want his body to be returned to his home city of York."

If any readers know anything about William or his family, we should love to hear about from them.

Please contact us at Cheslyn Hay and District Local History Society. Sandra Alcott: 01922 413897 or Trevor McFarlane: 01922 414772 or email Sian.Alcott@btinternet.com

Sandra Alcott,

31 Leveson Avenue,

Cheslyn Hay,

Walsall,

West Midlands,

WS6 7BN.

Updated: 11:46 Saturday, May 31, 2003