diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index ad649bc6cd919d4324b3ae97670af5597bd45329..799640a1605d383bdc168ad21d903ee4a928b8b4 100644
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -4,6 +4,10 @@
         * using EXSE library version 1.4.1
 	* Version 1.9.6 released
 
+2019-01-26  Uwe Schulzweida
+
+	* ecCodes: deleteLocalDefinition for GRIB1.tmpl
+
 2018-11-21  Uwe Schulzweida
 
 	* scanning of attribute associate* failed (bug fix)
diff --git a/src/gribapi.h b/src/gribapi.h
index 11dd745cacd54eec9ef644d704ffe0ffc93225b3..0ab38cf88ca4fa6c85072b3ab6706894b4383930 100644
--- a/src/gribapi.h
+++ b/src/gribapi.h
@@ -97,7 +97,8 @@ static inline void *gribHandleNew(int editionNumber)
   grib_handle *gh = grib_handle_new_from_samples(NULL, (editionNumber == 1) ? "GRIB1" : "GRIB2");
   if ( gh == NULL ) Error("grib_handle_new_from_samples failed!");
 
-  if ( editionNumber > 1 ) GRIB_CHECK(my_grib_set_long(gh, "numberOfValues", 0L), 0);
+  if ( editionNumber == 1 ) GRIB_CHECK(my_grib_set_long(gh, "deleteLocalDefinition", 1L), 0);
+  if ( editionNumber == 2 ) GRIB_CHECK(my_grib_set_long(gh, "numberOfValues", 0L), 0);
 
   return gh;
 }