Our resident expert and self-confessed nosy researcher, Eileen Lavelle AGRA, has reunited eighteen living members of a WWI hero’s family.
Eileen’s journey began with a BBC News article about Private Edward Price, a soldier in the Wigan Pals Battalion of the Manchester Regiment who passed away on Boxing Day 1918.
Despite his service and sacrifice, efforts by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) to locate his family were unsuccessful, leaving no relatives present when his restored gravestone was unveiled earlier this year.
Private Price had served for three years before being medically discharged just weeks before the Armistice. Though a war grave was erected in his honour, records of his descendants were not maintained, and his story faded into obscurity.
What started as a casual lunch break investigation quickly became a mission for Eileen, leading to the discovery of eighteen living descendants, many of whom had no idea of their connection to this remarkable man.
Their reactions were deeply moving. As his great-granddaughter Bethaney Lord shared: “Boxing Day will always have a special meaning from now on, and Remembrance Day is going to be a lot more significant in our lives.”
Read the full story of how Eileen’s dedication brought a family together to honour their ancestor’s memory here: https://bit.ly/ForgottenWWIHero
