WW1 soldiers laid to rest 96 years after they fell

TWO First World War soldiers were finally laid to rest yesterday, almost a century after they were killed in action.

Lieutenant John Pritchard and Private Christopher Elphick, of The Honourable Artillery Company (HAC), were re-interred in the HAC cemetery at Ecoust-St Mein, near Arras in France, alongside two fellow soldiers who have not been identified.

Lt Pritchard, who survived the Battle of the Somme and a gunshot wound to the neck, was killed alongside Pte Elphick on 15 May, 1917, during the second battle of Bullecourt.

Their remains were found in a field in 2009. Lt Pritchard was identified by a silver identity bracelet, and Pte Elphick by a gold signet ring bearing his initials, but it took three years to trace their relatives.

Yesterday, family members of both men saw them buried two miles from where they were killed. More than 300 people
attended the ceremony, including Prince Michael of Kent.

Lt Pritchard and Pte Elphick, along with their comrades, were given full military honours, their coffins draped in the Union flag carried by bearer parties, accompanied by the HAC band.