The final resting place of a dedicated soldier has been marked with a new Commonwealth War Graves headstone.
Visitors to the cemetery at St Nicholas-at-Wade can now see the memorial commemorating Private George Ernest Foad, of the Queen’s Royal West Surrey Regiment, who died in 1917.
Until recently, practically nothing was known about the soldier, despite his name being inscribed on the war memorial in Monkton.
However, in recent months investigations by two researchers have brought more to light.
The work of Janet Graham, the head-teacher at Monkton Primary School, and Canon Peter Gausden has proved invaluable.
They discovered that Pte Foad was born in 1889 and lived in the village, working first on the land and then as a colliery-tip man, probably at Chislet.
He enlisted in the Queen’s Royal West Surrey Regiment in 1915 and was graded fit for active service.
He completed basic training but just before he was to be posted to the Western Front became ill with pleurisy.
Over the months his condition deteriorated and he was eventually invalided from the service on pension, with a good military character, in July 1916.
But just nine months later, at his parents’ home at Gore Street New Cottages, he died from tuberculosis and peritoneum, aged just 27.
The private was buried in the cemetery after a service in St Nicholas’s Church conducted by the Vicar of Monkton, the Rev Fabian Brackenbury.
Pte Foad’s mother, Emily, was a St Nicholas girl.
Canon Gausden said: “In more recent years, the unmarked grave has been entirely forgotten, but the clear picture we now have is of a man who had tried hard to do his bit, and it is good to know that his contemporaries in Monkton saw to it that his name was included among those commemorated on the village war memorial.
“The results of our research were submitted to the Ministry of Defence, which agreed to authorise the Commonwealth War Graves Commission to erect a headstone on Pte Foad’s grave. The stone was finally put in place in May this year.”
A short ceremony of dedication was held on Saturday and villagers turned out to pay their respects in the presence of members of the
Foad family.
Canon Gausden said: “Janet and I are very grateful to all those who have helped us in this venture, particularly St Nicholas-at-Wade and Sarre Parish Council, and Julie Francis, the former clerk to the council, who quickly located George Foad’s grave in the excellent cemetery records.
“She liaised with the War Graves Commission over arrangements for installing the memorial stone. The council also kindly waived its fees.”
POSTED: 11/11/2009 16:49:53
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