Photos of 'forgotten' war heroes tracked down after plea

Photos of ‘forgotten’ war heroes found after appeal

These photographs are now ready to be placed on the graves of two Welsh soldiers buried in the Netherlands.

Photos of “forgotten” World War Two soldiers buried in a cemetery in the Netherlands have been located after an appeal on BBC Wales, though many are still missing.

Campaigners in the historic town of Venray in the south-east of the country have adopted the graves of more than 600 British soldiers killed in the war.

“These men paid the highest price for our freedom,” said volunteer Theo Vervoort from the Venray War Cemetery Adoption Graves Foundation.

“We will not forget them and we want to tell their story to the next generation.”

Hundreds of photos have been found and placed on the graves through social media connections, but the search for the remaining few Welsh soldiers continues.

After the earlier appeal was published in August, Catherine Travis, 66, from Tredegar, Blaenau Gwent, said she was astonished to discover that volunteers were looking after her relative’s grave.

“I couldn’t believe it, I couldn’t believe it that this lady takes care of the grave and it’s all because our soldiers fought for their country in the Netherlands,” she said.

Catherine began researching his background last year and found he was a member of the South Wales Borderers.

His photo has now been shared with the volunteers in Venray.

“I’ve found out so much about Albert Wheeler. It’s taken over my life, basically,” Catherine said.

“To think now that we’ve put a face to the grave, we know the story of the battle, we know exactly where he died, we’ve built this picture up of Albert, right from a child.”

Catherine has been in contact with the grave adopter, Lotte Scharn, 29, whom she will meet during her first trip to Venray later this month.

“I feel I’ve got to go. I know so much about the man, I feel I’ve got to go out there, and pay my respects, put flowers down, and say thank you,” she said.

“It will be lovely, but it will be emotional.”

Lotte, who works as a journalist in the Netherlands, said researching Albert Wheeler’s history had been “an interesting ride”.

Using war diaries from the area, she found that he died a stone’s throw from where she lives during the Battle of Overloon.

“This kind of started out as my own little project,” she said.

“It’s starting to feel very personal. It’s not my family, I haven’t known this man at all, but it’s starting to feel like I have a connection to his story.”

Jackie Pryce-Elias, 60, from Carmarthen, said she was “mindblown” when she saw the appeal on the news to find a photo of her grandfather.

Her daughter, Kelly, then got in touch with the volunteers in Venray on social media.

“If my mother was still alive and knew that the Dutch people were looking after their graves, she would be amazed,” Jackie said.

“Me, my sister, have both said we want to go back out there now.

“We went three years ago. It was emotional.

“But now that all of this has happened, with the BBC, it’s out there now, his name’s out there, so me and my sister want to pay our respects again, and to see the people who have been adopting these graves.”

Jackie will be in Venray for a ceremony on 18 October to mark the day the town was liberated by British troops in 1944.

Theo is preparing to welcome the families to the area, along with his fellow volunteers, who are still appealing for more relatives to come forward.

“The help of the BBC is very important,” he said.

“Most of the people we are looking for don’t have Facebook, they are 70+. They don’t know us. If we try to connect people often think it’s a scam. So one of the best ways to contact [people] is by a broadcast or article.”

The volunteers are still appealing for images of the following Welsh soldiers:

Mervyn Hopkin Davies, from Maesteg, Bridgend

Joseph Frederick Davies, from Mountain Ash, Rhondda Cynon Taf

Evan Owen Davies, from Wrexham

Albert Joseph Harries, from Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire

William Edgar Large, from Pontypridd, Rhondda Cynon Taf

Norman Peter Lilja, from Caerphilly

William Burne O'Donnell, from Glamorgan

Frederick Sydney Scott, from Glamorgan

John Meredith Taylor, from Newport

David George Williams, from Swansea