THE personal papers of an East Lancashire seaman who served in the two world wars has been saved from a charity shop bin.

Now the hunt has begun for relatives of James Lord, who lost his life, aged 46, aboard the SS Balmore in an air raid off the Irish coast on November 11, 1940.

Coun Neil Butterworth was brought in after the paperwork was found at a Colne charity shop and he is now piecing together the life story of the merchant seaman.

Pride of place among the paperwork is a condolence letter sent from Buckingham Palace, from King George VI, offering his family ‘our heartfelt sympathy’ for their loss.

Also among the sheaf of official documents is his Board of Trade work record and a letter from a British Expeditionary Force hospital, where he was treated after suffering a gas attack in the First World War when he was in the Royal Military Police.

Mr Lord originally lived in Throstle Street, Nelson, but is later listed as living in Kingsley Street, Nelson, and Grasmere Street, Burnley.

He undertook no fewer than 39 postings, from 1923 serving aboard ships including the Avoceta, Alondra, Langleeford and Eskdene.

The cargo ship Balmore was sunk by an air raid 17 years later, around 300 miles south west of the Irish coast. All 22 sailors on board perished.

Coun Butterworth, who represents Colne’s Horsfield ward, said: “It was a shame for it end up in a bin but the papers were passed to a friend of mine, who knew I was interested in this kind of history.”

People with information can contact Coun Butterworth at neil.butterworth@pendle.gov.uk