MEN and women across North Yorkshire played their part in the First World War, with many of them losing their lives during the conflict.

York was a garrison town whose importance swelled so much during the war that schools were taken over to house servicemen.

In addition a "tented village" grew up on Knavesmire to house the servicemen, with a Royal Flying Corps airfield next to it.

Another new feature of the city was the internment of "enemy aliens" both at York Castle and in a camp in Leeman Road, which later in the war also held German prisoners-of-war.

As groups of young men joined up, the women left behind filled the jobs of their husbands, brothers and sons, who had gone into battle.

From 1915 the mass military recruitment of men in York led to women becoming train conductors, as well as porters, ticket collectors and booking clerks on the railways.

There are memorials to the fallen in many parts of the city, but the most prominent is that at Station Road to the 2,236 workers of the former North Eastern Railway Company who died.

Other memorials include those at York Minster and Selby Abbey.

York Cemetery contains 232 Commonwealth War Graves Commission memorial stones from the First World War and there are 110 in Fulford Cemetery.

Among the huge losses were the players in St Peter's School's 1913-1914 Rugby Union first team, of which 13 were killed in action.

One hero, Corporal Harry Blanshard Wood, was York's only First World War servicemen to win Britain's highest military honour, The Victoria Cross, after he took command of his platoon with the task of clearing a village and securing a ruined bridge covered by snipers in October 1918.

The London Gazzette reported: "He showed complete disregard for his personal safety and his leadership throughout the day was of the highest order."

Updated: 10:34 Saturday, March 02, 2002