Gainsborough soldier honoured

Private Henry Vaughan, of the Lincolnshire Regiment, died in 1918 and was buried in an unmarked grave in the Gainsborough Central Cemetery.

But now, after a two-year campaign, led by Peter Bradshaw, head of history at Trent Valley Academy South, a headstone has finally been erected.

On Friday the 29-year-old's grave was marked with an official War Graves Commission headstone in an emotional ceremony.

Mr Bradshaw was joined by pupils and staff from the Middlefield Lane school as well as Gainsborough Town Mayor Coun Pearl Banyard, members of the Royal British Legion, Gainsborough and District Heritage Association and local residents.

The Cox's Hill cemetery has many war servicemen buried there including six First World War pilots and a number of foreign personnel from South Africa, Canada and Argentina.

"This is a very important day for us to finally mark the grave of a Gainsborough soldier," said Mr Bradshaw.

"As a school we have always been interested in the history of Gainsborough soldiers from our cemetery visits to France and Belgium over the past eight years or so."

"Private Vaughan was discharged from the Army and never recovered from his injuries and this is why he was buried in an unmarked grave," he added.

The service included speeches from Mr Bradshaw, Wendy Carrick acting head of the south site of the academy, Michael Wragg from The Royal British Legion and the sounding of The Last Post. The legion's Standard was also present.

Malcolm Ross regional supervisor from The Commonwealth War Graves Commission said Friday was a very important day.

"Most ceremonies like these we take part in go unnoticed and this is nice that this campaign has had so much publicity," he said.

"This is also very poignant because this year marks the 90th anniversary of the end of the First World War, which Private Vaughan fought in."

The Darley Dale stone was fixed into the ground by stonemasons from the commission and afterwards some members of the public placed Remembrance Sunday crosses in front of Private Vaughan's grave.

Mr Bradshaw said this latest campaign was only the beginning.

"We know of at least two more soldiers who could be buried in unmarked graves in the cemetery," he said.

"So we have got plenty of research and history delving to keep us going for the next few years and beyond when we move into the new academy building."