{"id":32579,"date":"2024-06-30T06:47:17","date_gmt":"2024-06-30T10:47:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/ww1-soldiers-laid-to-rest-110-years-after-deaths\/30\/06\/2024\/"},"modified":"2024-06-30T06:47:17","modified_gmt":"2024-06-30T10:47:17","slug":"ww1-soldiers-laid-to-rest-110-years-after-deaths","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/ww1-soldiers-laid-to-rest-110-years-after-deaths\/30\/06\/2024\/","title":{"rendered":"WW1 soldiers laid to rest 110 years after deaths"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Two soldiers who were killed more than a century ago in World War One have finally been laid to rest.<\/p>\n<p>Gunner Charles Lightfoot and Sgt John Smith died two months into the war.<\/p>\n<p>They were killed during the Battle of Aisne in France in September 1914 but their bodies were not found until 15 year ago.<\/p>\n<p>Gunner Lightfoot&#8217;s granddaughter Sue Kruk travelled to France from her home in Hayling Island, Hampshire, for the military burial ceremony in their honour.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"caas-figure\">\n<div class=\"caas-figure-with-pb\" style=\"max-height: 540px\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"caas-img-container caas-img-lightbox caas-img-loader\" style=\"padding-bottom:56%\" data-lightbox-src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/gqiIQ6FkQU3AUK_hIGLCCA--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTI0MDA7aD0xMzUw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/bbc_us_articles_995\/64cbf821ec64b5519b6a0e4fd9068702\"><span class=\"caas-img-wrapper\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Sue Kruk reading the letter from 1914 that was in her grandmothers box of belongings\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/ej8ySvW6nubZu.qhsp8QuA--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MA--\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/bbc_us_articles_995\/64cbf821ec64b5519b6a0e4fd9068702\" class=\"caas-img\"\/><button class=\"link caas-lightbox\" aria-label=\"View larger image\" data-ylk=\"sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;elm:expand;itc:1\"><span class=\"openArrows icon\"><svg width=\"22\" height=\"22\" viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\"><path d=\"M12.372 0.92C12.372 0.414 12.782 0.004 13.287 0.004L21 0L20.996 7.712C20.996 8.217 20.586 8.628 20.08 8.628C19.574 8.628 19.164 8.217 19.164 7.712V3.183L12.337 10.011L10.988 8.663L17.816 1.835H13.287C12.782 1.835 12.372 1.425 12.372 0.92ZM1.835 17.816L8.663 10.988L10.012 12.337L3.183 19.164H7.712C8.218 19.164 8.627 19.574 8.627 20.08C8.627 20.586 8.218 20.995 7.712 20.995L0 21L0.004 13.287C0.004 12.782 0.414 12.372 0.92 12.372C1.425 12.372 1.835 12.782 1.835 13.287V17.816Z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><figcaption class=\"caption-collapse\">Sue Kruk still has a box of her grandmother Netty Lightfoot&#8217;s belongings [BBC]<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>In 2009, French historian Jerome Buttet was researching war graffiti in a cave near Chassemy, when he discovered a makeshift grave with an inscription.<\/p>\n<p>It read: &#8220;15 Sept 1914, Here lies Sjt Smith and 3 Gnrs, 29th Battery RFA.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Mr Buttet brought in archaeologists, who discovered two sets of remains in the cave.<\/p>\n<p>Ministry of Defence (MoD) detectives at Imjin Barracks in Gloucestershire carried out research and DNA testing, which allowed them to identify the two fallen men as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/articles\/cv22v17mmrmo?xtor=AL-72-%5Bpartner%5D-%5Byahoo.north.america%5D-%5Blink%5D-%5Bnews%5D-%5Bbizdev%5D-%5Bisapi%5D\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Sgt Smith from Gloucestershire;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Sgt Smith from Gloucestershire<\/a> and Gunner Lightfoot from Edinburgh.<\/p>\n<p>Both served with the 29th Battery of Royal Field Artillery.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"caas-figure\">\n<div class=\"caas-figure-with-pb\" style=\"max-height: 540px\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"caas-img-container caas-img-lightbox caas-img-loader\" style=\"padding-bottom:56%\" data-lightbox-src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/BUBwAAY5iUZjGWcIceFaKg--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTE5NTI7aD0xMDk4\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/bbc_us_articles_995\/3b62558b1f35a1bda434c23cf112a71f\"><span class=\"caas-img-wrapper\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"caas-img caas-lazy has-preview\" alt=\"Cave carvings read: &quot;15 Sept 1914, Here lies Sjt Smith and 3 Gnrs, 29th Battery RFA&quot;\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/0nFrKkubwAlmDQ3zT4ue2g--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MA--\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/bbc_us_articles_995\/3b62558b1f35a1bda434c23cf112a71f\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Cave carvings read: &quot;15 Sept 1914, Here lies Sjt Smith and 3 Gnrs, 29th Battery RFA&quot;\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/0nFrKkubwAlmDQ3zT4ue2g--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MA--\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/bbc_us_articles_995\/3b62558b1f35a1bda434c23cf112a71f\" class=\"caas-img\"\/><button class=\"link caas-lightbox\" aria-label=\"View larger image\" data-ylk=\"sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;elm:expand;itc:1\"><span class=\"openArrows icon\"><svg width=\"22\" height=\"22\" viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\"><path d=\"M12.372 0.92C12.372 0.414 12.782 0.004 13.287 0.004L21 0L20.996 7.712C20.996 8.217 20.586 8.628 20.08 8.628C19.574 8.628 19.164 8.217 19.164 7.712V3.183L12.337 10.011L10.988 8.663L17.816 1.835H13.287C12.782 1.835 12.372 1.425 12.372 0.92ZM1.835 17.816L8.663 10.988L10.012 12.337L3.183 19.164H7.712C8.218 19.164 8.627 19.574 8.627 20.08C8.627 20.586 8.218 20.995 7.712 20.995L0 21L0.004 13.287C0.004 12.782 0.414 12.372 0.92 12.372C1.425 12.372 1.835 12.782 1.835 13.287V17.816Z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><figcaption class=\"caption-collapse\">The cave inscription discovered by Jerome Buttet [Jerome Buttet]<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Ms Kruk still has a box of her grandmother Netty Lightfoot&#8217;s belongings. Among the items she kept was a letter dated 18 October 1914, more than a month after Gunner Lightfoot was killed.<\/p>\n<p>It read: &#8220;It is my painful duty to inform you that a report has this day been received from the war office, notifying the death of Gunner Charles Lightfoot.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The cause of death was killed in action.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Mrs Lightfoot was pregnant when her husband left for France.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It was so difficult for women in World War One,&#8221; said Ms Kruk.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;A whole generation of men went, and that was ghastly, and then a whole generation of women had to deal with the loss.&#8221;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"caas-figure\">\n<div class=\"caas-figure-with-pb\" style=\"max-height: 540px\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"caas-img-container caas-img-lightbox caas-img-loader\" style=\"padding-bottom:56%\" data-lightbox-src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/vUfL9oFehBDIlNK5UyHdQg--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTI0MDA7aD0xMzUw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/bbc_us_articles_995\/1eb9eff7a1cf9d1e61c4e4edb6b9c8cf\"><span class=\"caas-img-wrapper\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"caas-img caas-lazy has-preview\" alt=\"A funeral service at a British war cemetery in France, a coffin with a British flag draped across it is being lowered into the ground and a vicar is reading beside military personnel \" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/ZGvToDhIhmfxCNJ2bzjruw--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MA--\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/bbc_us_articles_995\/1eb9eff7a1cf9d1e61c4e4edb6b9c8cf\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A funeral service at a British war cemetery in France, a coffin with a British flag draped across it is being lowered into the ground and a vicar is reading beside military personnel \" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/ZGvToDhIhmfxCNJ2bzjruw--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MA--\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/bbc_us_articles_995\/1eb9eff7a1cf9d1e61c4e4edb6b9c8cf\" class=\"caas-img\"\/><button class=\"link caas-lightbox\" aria-label=\"View larger image\" data-ylk=\"sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;elm:expand;itc:1\"><span class=\"openArrows icon\"><svg width=\"22\" height=\"22\" viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\"><path d=\"M12.372 0.92C12.372 0.414 12.782 0.004 13.287 0.004L21 0L20.996 7.712C20.996 8.217 20.586 8.628 20.08 8.628C19.574 8.628 19.164 8.217 19.164 7.712V3.183L12.337 10.011L10.988 8.663L17.816 1.835H13.287C12.782 1.835 12.372 1.425 12.372 0.92ZM1.835 17.816L8.663 10.988L10.012 12.337L3.183 19.164H7.712C8.218 19.164 8.627 19.574 8.627 20.08C8.627 20.586 8.218 20.995 7.712 20.995L0 21L0.004 13.287C0.004 12.782 0.414 12.372 0.92 12.372C1.425 12.372 1.835 12.782 1.835 13.287V17.816Z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><figcaption class=\"caption-collapse\">The soldiers were laid to rest at a British war cemetery in France [Sue Kruk]<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Both soldiers were buried with full military honours at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission\u2019s Vendresse British Cemetery in France on 13 June.<\/p>\n<p>Ms Kruk said of the service: &#8220;I think it&#8217;s the end of a chapter and it&#8217;s a lovely end to it after such sadness.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><em>Follow BBC South on <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/bbcsouthnews\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Facebook;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \"><em>Facebook<\/em><\/a><em>, <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/bbcsouthnews\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:X (Twitter);elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \"><em>X (Twitter)<\/em><\/a><em>, or <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/bbcsouthnews\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Instagram;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \"><em>Instagram<\/em><\/a><em>. Send your story ideas to <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/news\/mailto:south.newsonline@bbc.co.uk\" data-ylk=\"slk:south.newsonline@bbc.co.uk;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\"><em>south.newsonline@bbc.co.uk<\/em><\/a><em> or via <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/wa.me\/message\/EJ5ZD4R6BN2BC1\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:WhatsApp on 0808 100 2240;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \"><em>WhatsApp on 0808 100 2240<\/em><\/a><em>.<\/em><\/p>\n<h2>More on this story<\/h2>\n<h2>Related Links<\/h2>\n<p><img alt=\"\" height=\"1\" width=\"1\" style=\"display:block\" class=\"lazyload\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/a1.api.bbc.co.uk\/hit.xiti\/?w=75&resize=75 75w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/a1.api.bbc.co.uk\/hit.xiti\/?w=100&resize=100 100w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/a1.api.bbc.co.uk\/hit.xiti\/?w=150&resize=150 150w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/a1.api.bbc.co.uk\/hit.xiti\/?w=240&resize=240 240w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/a1.api.bbc.co.uk\/hit.xiti\/?w=320&resize=320 320w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/a1.api.bbc.co.uk\/hit.xiti\/?w=500&resize=500 500w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/a1.api.bbc.co.uk\/hit.xiti\/?w=640&resize=640 640w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/a1.api.bbc.co.uk\/hit.xiti\/?w=800&resize=800 800w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/a1.api.bbc.co.uk\/hit.xiti\/?w=1024&resize=1024 1024w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/a1.api.bbc.co.uk\/hit.xiti\/?w=1280&resize=1280 1280w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/a1.api.bbc.co.uk\/hit.xiti\/?w=1600&resize=1600 1600w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/a1.api.bbc.co.uk\/hit.xiti\/\"\/><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/news\/ww1-soldiers-laid-rest-110-100333696.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Two soldiers who were killed more than a century ago in World War One have finally been laid to rest. Gunner Charles<br \/><button class=\"read-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/ww1-soldiers-laid-to-rest-110-years-after-deaths\/30\/06\/2024\/\">Read More &rsaquo;<\/a><\/button><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":32581,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32579"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32579"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32579\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32581"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32579"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32579"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32579"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}