'It is our honour to remember them'

GRAVESTONES AND MEMORIALS OF WORLD WAR ONE HEROES RESTORED

- By ABIGAIL NICHOLSON

SEVERAL gravestones in Eston Cemetery have been restored and improved by a group of volunteers who researched the stories behind them.

Most of the graves memorialise people who died in the First and Second World Wars and Chair of the Friends of Eston Cemetery, Vince Smith, and his colleagues have been finding out more about them.

One of the graves restored is that of William Short who was awarded the Victoria Cross.

The Eston volunteers worked with experts from The Victoria Cross Trust (VCT) to complete the work.

The VCT team has been able to conduct the more specialist masonry and cleaning work and the volunteers, supported by Redcar and Cleveland Council, relatives and a local business, speeded the process up with tidying up around the graves.

Some funding came from a relative of Private Harry Chilton Merryweather, who was a soldier working on a farm near Hawes before the First World War and was killed serving in the West Yorkshire Regiment in October, 1917, aged 24.

Among the memorials and graves being restored were those of Victoria Cross and Military Medal winners.