Case Left In Skip Reveals Family's Heartache In The First World War

A suitcase left in a skip held documents revealing the devastating story of a father and son who lost their lives on the battlefields of France in the First World War.

- Paul Jeeves

The battered old case had been discarded as part of a house clearance by a family unaware of the treasure trove of historic information inside.

Letters record the loss suffered by the family of former coal miner John Cowie. They were discovered by waste removal staff who are now determined that the two men will never be forgotten.

They are organising a memorial service and laying a stone for them. The documents tell how when war broke out in 1914 John lived with his wife Ellen and their eight children in Sunderland.

But a year on they reveal Ellen’s heartbreak as she lost both her husband and teenage son Henry within days of each other.