A war hero who died almost two years after being wounded in combat has now been honoured with an official war grave in South Derbyshire - 98 years after his death.

Private Ernest John Ailward, of the Worcestershire Regiment, 4 Battalion, died on February 9, 1919, at the age of just 25, after being wounded while fighting in the First World War.

However, his death was never recorded as a casualty of war as he died one year and 10 months after receiving his wound and was therefore not given an official Commonwealth War Graves Commission headstone or his name added to the Roll of Honour.

Now that has all changed and his headstone has been revealed with full military honours at a service at York Road Cemetery, in Church Gresley, which included the flag draped over the headstone and the Last Post played on the trumphet. The service was led by Reverend Mike Firbank and included a reading, hymns and laying of the wreaths.

It is thought that Ernest was a bomber during the Great War.

The service to dedicate the headstone of Private Ernest John Ailward, at York Road Cemetery in Church Gresley. He died on the 9th February 1919 at the age of 25
Nephew of Ernest, Brian Ailward
Brian Ailward at his uncles grave during the service to dedicate the headstone of Private Ernest John Ailward, at York Road Cemetery in Church Gresley.

His nephew and great nephew, Brian and David Ailward, were among the gathered crowd paying their respects to a hero of the First World War where thousands of young men died.

Brian said: "It was very moving, I knew what was coming as we have been discussing it for a number of weeks. It was very vague what happened to Ernest and there are many unanswered questions. It is difficult to find out these things 100 years later.

"It is just the way it goes and I think that so many young lads thought they were going off on an adventure as many had never left the village where they grew up. They ended up going to France and they thought it was great but it didn't happen as they imagined."

The grave was found with the help of the dedicated research of Barbara Grayson, who discovered that Ernest lived in Hill Street, Swadlincote, after marrying Susan Ann Tagg. With delving into old records, and with the help of Ernest's family, the Civic Offices and the Magic Attic, she pieced together his past and found that he had a daughter born after he died and was a stepfather to Leslie Whittaker.

After gathering her research, she got in touch with the In From The Cold Project, which finds casualties of both world wars, to get the new grave.

The service to dedicate the headstone of Private Ernest John Ailward, at York Road Cemetery in Church Gresley. He died on the 9th February 1919 at the age of 25
The service to dedicate the headstone of Private Ernest John Ailward, at York Road Cemetery in Church Gresley. He died on the February 9, 1919, at the age of 25.

The service, organised by the local branch of the Royal British Legion, was also be attended by the North West regional supervisor for the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Stephen Stapleton.

Mr Stapleton explained that the commission had found five cases in one year where war heroes had now received a military grave in the area. However, in many cases they found that the records for graveyards had not been kept up-to-date so it was difficult to find out where the heroes had been buried.

Many soldiers died at home or while lodging with other people when they returned from the war, so would have been buried privately.

Mr Stapleton said: "Ernest received a nice service and it is lovely to see that people still turn out to honour war heroes almost 100 years on. A lot of people are not aware of the military graves which are all scattered across the area. The graves have been located through the Cold Project and it was started a couple of years ago and is still going."

He added that the Commonwealth War Graves Commission will now be responsible for maintaining the grave.

The service to dedicate the headstone of Private Ernest John Ailward, at York Road Cemetery in Church Gresley. He died on the 9th February 1919 at the age of 25
Kelly Stretton - Ex Grenadier, based in London
Ex-Grenadier Kelly Stretton playing the Last Post.

Mick Golder, chairman of the Swadlincote and District Royal British Legion, said he has been with the organisation for seven years and this is the first time he has attended a ceremony such as this.

He said: "It is one of the reasons that the Royal British Legion exists for remembrance. It plays a big part in the legion as well as working for the existing and former service people. I thought that it was a wonderful service."

The service to dedicate the headstone of Private Ernest John Ailward, at York Road Cemetery in Church Gresley. He died on the 9th February 1919 at the age of 25
Nephew of Ernest, Brian Ailward and Rob Jackson, who had got the medals that were Ernest Ailward
Nephew of Private Ernest John Ailward, Brian Ailward, with Rob Jackson, who had got the medals that were awarded to the war hero.

What is the Commonwealth War Graves Commission?

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) ensures that 1.7 million people who died in the two world wars will never be forgotten.

The commission cares for cemeteries and memorials at 23,000 locations, in 154 countries. Its values and aims, laid out in 1917, are as relevant now as they were almost 100 years ago.

The Commission's principles are:

  • Each of the dead should be commemorated by name on the headstone or memorial;
  • Headstones and memorials should be permanent;
  • Headstones should be uniform; and
  • There should be no distinction made on account of military or civil rank, race or creed

Since the CWGC's foundation by Royal Charter it has constructed 2,500 war cemeteries and plots, erecting headstones over graves and where the remains are missing, inscribing the names of the dead on permanent memorials. More than a million burials are now commemorated at military and civil sites in some 150 countries.

The service to dedicate the headstone of Private Ernest John Ailward, at York Road Cemetery in Church Gresley. He died on the 9th February 1919 at the age of 25
The service to dedicate the headstone of Private Ernest John Ailward, at York Road Cemetery in Church Gresley. He died on February 9, 1919, at the age of 25

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission owes its existence to the vision and determination of one man - Sir Fabian Ware.

Neither a soldier nor a politician, Ware was nevertheless well placed to respond to the public's reaction to the enormous losses in the war.

At 45 he was too old to fight but he became the commander of a mobile unit of the British Red Cross. Saddened by the sheer number of casualties, he felt driven to find a way to ensure the final resting places of the dead would not be lost forever.

His unit began recording and caring for all the graves they could find. By 1915, their work was given official recognition by the War Office and incorporated into the British Army as the Graves Registration Commission.