100-year-old family mystery solved on train
IT was a family mystery that had remained unsolved for more than a century.
Rita Armin, 85, grew up knowing that her grandfather had died fighting in France during the First World War, but no one in her family had ever been able to find out where he was buried.
However, a chance encounter on a train has led Rita to finally discover the last resting place of the man she never met.
Rita, herself a war widow, was travelling on a Virgin train from Stockport to Euston when she got chatting to train manager Wayne McDonald, who happened to be a war enthusiast.
The pensioner, who is a member of the War Widows’ Association, was on her way to Buckingham Palace for a reception to mark Prince Charles’ 70th birthday.
Her husband, Corporal Henry Armin of the Royal Engineers (Airborne), died of the injuries he sustained in the Second World War.
As the pair chatted during the two-hour journey, Rita shared that she had never been able to find out where her granddad, Private Thomas Bryan of the 2nd Ox and Bucks Regiment, was buried, after his death during the Great War in 1915.
Rita, from Cheadle Hulme, said: “My grandma used to talk about him fighting in France in the First World War and she never saw him again after he left home to fight in his best suit.
“All she received after he died was a parcel with his suit in, full of French clay. This story had stayed with me, even though I was only a little girl when she talked about it.”
Rita asked Wayne if he could do anything to help find out the full story, as he had an interest in the history of the conflict, but once she left the train she never really expected to hear from him again.
So she was stunned when an email arrived a few days later with incredible news.
Wayne had managed to find Private Bryan’s grave – and there was an even bigger surprise to come thanks to Wayne’s detective work.
Rita added: “I had tried previously but there were so many names the same as my grandad, that I gave up. I gave Wayne as much detail as possible and he said he would come back to me if he found anything.
“Grandad had died in France, but unbeknown to me he was actually my step- grandad.
“Grandma had married again after her first husband had died, leaving her with five children, the youngest being my father.
“Never, in a million years, did I expect to receive all that lost information about my paternal grandad. For years, I have wondered what he was like, where his remains are. I am so grateful to Wayne, I’m having difficulty in expressing the words to thank him.”
Not content with just helping Rita solve the mystery, Wayne went one step further.
He visited Bethune Town Cemetery where Private Bryan was buried to pay his respects and take a photograph of the burial site for Rita.
Wayne, who describes himself as an amateur war researcher, found the grave with the help of some old census data and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website, ahead of his visit to the cemetery in Northern France.
He said: “It was fascinating listen to Rita’s family stories and an absolute privilege to help solve the mystery of what happened to Thomas.”