Royalty attends moving ceremony of Hersham soldier who died in 1917

Janet Shell of Newlands Close, Hersham, attended the burial of Lieutenant John Harold Pritchard, who died aged 31 in 1917.

Lt Pritchard, of the Honourable Artillery Company (HAC), was buried will full military honours on April 23 at the HAC Cemetery in Ecoust-St Mein, near Arras in France, just two miles from where he died.

The families of Lt Pritchard and His Royal Highness Prince Michael of Kent the Royal Honorary Colonel of the HAC were at the funeral.

Ms Shell, a classical singer, said: “We had always known about John Harold Pritchard because there is a plaque for him at St Paul’s Cathedral where he was a chorister, but it was just by chance that I put his name into the internet in January 2012 and found a whole forum discussing my great uncle and asking if any of his relatives had been found.

“It really is the most momentous thing that could ever happen to a family, and being here today is the culmination of something we have been talking about for 15 months in my family and for many years before by my mother’s generation.

“This is bringing it full circle with us all here representing my great grandmother who connects us all, and gives us somewhere to come in the future for the next generation.”

Lt Pritchard, who survived the Battle of the Somme and a gunshot wound to the neck, was killed when his battalion was attacked in the early hours of May 15, 1917, during the Second Battle of Bullecourt.

His remains were found three years ago, where he died in battle, along with one of his soldiers and two other unidentified HAC soldiers.

The discovery was made by an elderly farmer who found one of soldier’s gas canisters three years ago.

He dug deeper to remove the canister and discovered the soldier’s remains.

It took three years to trace Lt Pritchard’s relatives, after being identified by a silver identity bracelet bearing his name.

Lt Pritchard’s family were given his identity bracelet in a private ceremony.