MEMBERS of the Reserve Forces and Cadets Association (RFCA) gathered at York's Mansion House this morning to read out the names of some of the First World War casualties from the city.

Representatives from the RFCA, including sea, RAF and army cadets, attended the special ceremony, with a number of them reading out names listed in the King's Book of York Heroes, as did the Lord Mayor of York, Cllr Keith Orrell. A crowd of people assembled outside Mansion House for the ceremony.

A total of 124 names were read out on the Mansion House steps, with Cllr Orrell reading out six names that have recently been added to the book.

These are Benjamin Baines, Thomas Peasgood, Thomas Edwin Eastwood, Walter Johnson, Walter Hudson and John Quigley.

A sea cadet read out the name of George Edwin Ellison, who was the last British soldier to die in action during the First World War.

The Kings Book of York Heroes contains the names of nearly 1,500 men and two women from York who lost their lives through the First World War. The names have been read publicly from October 3, in chronological order of when they died. The final names will be read out at the Service of Remembrance in the City Memorial Gardens tomorrow. The service starts at 11am.

Families of the six men listed above came forward after the public readings began and due to the "significant" publicity the readings have received, City of York councillor Ashley Mason said.

In the last four years of First World War centenary commemorations, other names have also been added to the book.

Cllr Mason, who has organised the programme of public readings, said the public reaction to this project has been "overwhelming."

He added: "Even the people that can't get to the readings, we've been very lucky that a veteran has been recording them all and uploading them onto the internet and the amount of engagement that's got, we've had thousands if not tens of thousands of people who have either watched a video or seen about it or heard about it.

"Internationally, we've had families from I think Australia and New Zealand who have seen coverage of the project and had their relatives listed in the book."

The Press reported on Monday how Benjamin Baines' name was left out of the book after the war finished but had now been added after his great great niece, Katie Awdas, had provided evidence to the Minster that he was from York and had died in 1915.