WW2 soldier photos placed on graves after appeal

Photographs of four Leeds soldiers killed in the Netherlands during World War Two have been discovered in library archives and placed at their graves.

Leeds librarians uncovered newspaper photos of the soldiers, which were then sent to the cemetery near Eindhoven as part of commemorations to mark the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Venray on 13 October.

Leeds Central Library's Rhian Isaac said it had been “wonderful” to be able to help the research team.

“Each of these soldiers had their own life back home before they went off to war and they deserve to have their stories and their faces remembered in their final resting place,” she said.

She added: “It’s very moving and poignant to think that, thanks to the archives kept in their home city, people in Venray will now be able to see what they looked like and be more connected to them when they visit their graves.”

L/Cpl Herbert Alan Young, 23, served with the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry before he died on November 21, 1944.

Sapper Walter Marshall, 32, was serving with the 613 Field Squadron Royal Engineers when he died on November 30, 1944.

Pte John Keddie, 18, served with the 9th Battalion Durham Light Infantry and died from his injuries on March 29, 1945.

Gunner William Bastow, 36, served with the Royal Artillery 75 Anti-Tank Regiment and died on November 17, 1944.

The Stichting Adoptiegraven Foundation – which organised the commemoration event in October - encourages people in Venray to adopt a solder, placing candles, flowers and photographs to represent the families in the UK who are not able to visit.

Members of the foundation contacted the Local and Family History Library in Leeds to find images of the men.

The pictures were printed in metal and placed at each soldier’s grave.

The library also tracked down a newspaper report of the death of a fourth soldier, William Bastow, from Gildersome.

The Netherlands was occupied by the German army in May 1940 and the town of Venray was liberated by Allied troops in October 1944.

The burials in the cemetery date from October 1944 to March 1945. It contains 692 Commonwealth burials, 30 of them unidentified, and one Polish burial.

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