Lest we forget: Lost photos of Black Watch soldier found after 80 years
Genealogists put a face to a soldier whose grave has been tended for years by Dutch researcher
A soldier killed in the Second World War has been remembered 80 years after his death after photographs of his life before the war were uncovered
The discovery had a special meaning for the man who has tended the grave of Corporal David Kilgour Mitchell, who was killed in the Netherlands in 1944 while serving with the Black Watch.
For years, Dutch researcher Jürgen Beekers has looked after his final resting place, but it was only when genealogists traced his niece, who shared photographs of Cpl Mitchell with his wife and siblings that he was able to see the face of the soldier whose grave he has tended.
Attempts have been made since 2024 to trace relatives of Cpl Mitchell, who was from Kirkcaldy.
The soldier left behind a widow, Lilias, and family in Scotland, but his story risked being lost forever until a surprising discovery earlier this year.
Mr Beekers launched an appeal to trace his relatives - he is one of many individuals in the Netherlands who adopt a war grave in their home town, look after it and organise commemorations on Remembrance Day and Christmas Eve.
After years of searching for information about Cpl Mitchell, it was picked up by London genealogists company, Fraser and Fraser, which pieced together the soldier's family tree and traced his surviving relatives. Its investigation led to the soldier’s niece, who found previously lost photographs of the soldier with his wife and his siblings..
Mr Beekers said: "When people here in the Netherlands see a headstone on a war cemetery with just a name on it, you don't really see a person.
"But when you put a photograph in front of the grave, and you find some information about him, then you have a face, a story, a family."
Neil Fraser, partner at Fraser and Fraser, said: "What struck us about this case was that Jürgen had no connection to David or his family. He'd never met him, yet he was determined to find out who he was and make sure he was remembered.
"More than 80 years have passed since David was killed, but the people of the Netherlands haven't forgotten what men like him did for their country, and Jürgen's determination to find his family shows just how deeply that sacrifice is still felt.
"On Remembrance Day, we should remember that many of these men never had the chance to grow old or return to their families. David was one of them, and it's important that we continue telling their stories."
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