Six British soldiers have been reburied at a Commonwealth cemetery in Ypres, more than 100 years after they fell on the battlefields of Flanders.
Two of the men have been identified as Gunners Joseph William Rowbottom and Albert William Venus of the Royal Field Artillery.
They were killed in action on May 24th 1915, as the Second Battle of Ypres was drawing to a close.
Together with the remains of four other soldiers who’re still unknown, Gunners Rowbottom and Venus were laid to rest at CWGC’s Ypres Town Cemetery Extension on April 20th 2016.
Relatives of both men attended the service, together with British, Belgian and CWGC representatives.
Family tributes
John Howden, Albert Venus’ great nephew, said: “The whole family is overwhelmed. The service was poignant and a fitting tribute to Albert and his comrades who died in the Great War. We now have a new family member to remember and we will make sure the memory of Albert never goes away.”
A spokesman for Gunner Rowbottom’s family said: “We would like to thank everyone at the Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre and the Ministry of Defence for their kind assistance in researching the family tree to inform us of the discovery of his remains. We are most grateful for the arrangements made for the military burial and the lasting memorial at the Ypres Town Cemetery Extension.”
A younger brother of Albert Venus was also killed in action during the First World War, while serving with the Royal Navy.
Herbert Venus died when HMS Black Prince was sunk at the Battle of Jutland in 1916. He’s commemorated on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial, which will be among CWGC sites hosting remembrance services marking the Jutland Centenary on May 31st 2016.
More information can be found on the UK Ministry of Defence website.
Sources: Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC); UK Ministry of Defence
Images courtesy of CWGC
Posted by CN Editorial Team