Emotional trip to Flanders for grandfather's grave

Janet Milward from Bending Crescent and her son Fred visted the cemetery near Ypres where George Isted lies buried alongside thousands of others who fought in the First World War.

They were taken there by Douglas Mayne, of Saxon Rise, who was able to find the grave for Janet after a lifetime of her not knowing where it was.

George had died when Janet's mother Winifred Kemp was still a baby and the family had never been able find out more.

Douglas, who has been attending the Armistice Day service in Ypres for 30 years, was able to trace the grave through a masonic lodge there called The Builders Of The Silent Cities '“ of which he is now chaplain.

He said: "I was in Western Road one day when Janet came up to me '“ she had heard me give a lecture to the Royal British Legion. She told me she had been trying to find her relative for many years but had no success. Her family had already tried before that. I asked her to give me details and I would do my best to find out what I could.

"Then I found the location of the grave and the cemetery. Last November when I was out there I went to the grave and checked it to make sure the details were correct.

"I phoned Janet and told her I had found the grave. She was absolutely delighted...she didn't say much, she was very quiet for a while, and her son Fred '“ they were both pretty upset. I made a little booklet up for Janet, with the history of it, and gave her a photograph of the grave. I promised to take her out, which is what we did on Saturday April 24, a very moving day for her and her son."

Douglas took Janet and Fred to George's grave but also spent the day showing them around other war graves and memorials including the Essex Farm cemetery, and Tyncot at Passchendale which has 12,000 graves, and a wall with 35,000 names inscribed on it those who died but had no known resting place.

They also visited the Canadian monument and a rampart cemetary on the outskirts of Ypres, and afterwards attended the evening ceremony at the Menin Gate, where Pat was able to lay down flowers to express her respect.

"It was a long day," said Douglas.

"But it was worth every moment to take her out and see her face, and let her see how the cemeteries are care for, because they are absolutely immaculate.

"I have promised to take her in November for Armistice Day.

"It was just so nice to see her face...she seem settled when she had seen the grave. It was a really moving day all round."

Janet commented: "George was my grandad '“ my mum's dad. He died in the First World War when my mum was 13 months old.

"There was a piece in the Bexhill Observer printed in 1916 which said he died of his wounds in St Omer hospital in October.

"To describe the day as 'lovely' is the wrong word, but it was such an emotional day.

"I just burst into tears...to actually go over there. It was something my mum always wanted, to find his grave, and unfortunately she never did. She passed away ten years ago.

"But when you get to a certain age you have a list of things to do before you die, and this was on my list. To find out where he was was fantastic. But to actually go over there...it's something you can't explain. And it's all down to Douglas."