A Skipton man has travelled to the Continent to visit the grave of a relative who was a casualty of the First World War.

Geoffrey Gibson, and his wife Mary, of Burnside Crescent, travelled to France for four days in July to visit the grave of his mother's brother.

No members of Geoffrey's family had visited the grave before because they did not know where he was buried and Geoffrey and Mary were therefore the first family members to pay their respects.

He said: "It all started about a year since as we knew we had a relative buried out somewhere in France.

"My first move was to ring the reference library at Skipton. They said they couldn't help here but put me in touch with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission."

Geoffrey wrote to the commission, but got a reply saying it required more information. When he went back with more details, it was able to give Geoffrey the details he needed to organise the trip.

He was told his mother's brother, Private Ernest S Gibson, was with the Eighth Battalion of the Lincolnshire Regiment and was buried in St Sever Cemetery extension, in Rouen, Normandy.

The commission added that he was the son of John and Mary Gibson, of Willy Wood, Langcliffe.

The next hurdle was to get to the cemetery and find the grave.

By chance Geoffrey saw an advert in the Herald for organised tours to war cemeteries by The War Research Society.

The couple went on one of its pilgrimage tours which took them to the correct cemetery and even to the right grave.

Geoffrey said: "This is the first time anyone in the family has actually known where he was and the visit turned out to be very emotional."

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