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'Incredible response' to appeal to trace North West soldiers

Mat TrewernBBC North West
Family Photograph Grainy black and white image of Pvt Clayton looking at the camera. He is wearing his army uniform. Family Photograph
Pte Charles Robert Clayton from Liverpool was 31 when he was killed in the Netherlands in 1945

Volunteers at a war cemetery say there has been an "incredible" response to a BBC appeal to find photographs of North West soldiers buried there.

Three new pictures of World War Two soldiers buried in the town of Venray in the Netherlands have been found after an appeal on BBC North West.

Campaigners have been trying to trace families of the men so they can place photographs of them alongside their graves.

Tom van Mierlo, of the Venray War Cemetery Adoption Graves Foundation, said: "The response far exceeds our expectations. We tried hard to get those photos and now we've succeeded."

Venray War Cemetery Adoption Graves Foundation Close up image of graves at the British war cemetery in Venray, Netherlands. All the graves have a small bright lantern on the ground in front of them and most have a photograph of the soldier buried there. Venray War Cemetery Adoption Graves Foundation
Around 100 soldiers from the North West are buried in the war cemetery in Venray

The foundation had appealed to find relatives of 16 North West soldiers earlier this year.

"To find three new photos is incredible, it's more than we could have imagined before the appeal", said van Mierlo.

"It's great to finally give those three graves a face," he added.

New photos in appeal to trace North West soldiers

More than 600 British soldiers killed in World War Two are buried in the cemetery, which is in the south of the Netherlands.

Volunteers are still searching for 13 pictures of men from the North West.

"We'll continue looking for them but it's getting harder," said van Mierlo.

Family Photograph Grainy black and white image of Spr Green taking from a newspaper article after his death. His is wearing his army uniform. Family Photograph
Spr Walter Green from Tyldesley, Wigan spent most of World War Two as a prisoner of war

One of the photos unearthed was of Spr Walter Green from Tyldesley, Wigan, who died in 1945, aged 39.

His great nephew David Yates saw the appeal on BBC North West Tonight.

"Walter's name came up on the list and I thought there can't be two Walter Greens from Tyldesley... it had to be my great uncle," he said.

"I was surprised they didn't have a photo because I knew my grandmother had a picture of Walter in her bedroom."

Yates's wife then found an old newspaper article about Walter's death which included his photograph.

"I'm just glad I could help get a picture for his grave," he added.

"He's got a face as well as a name now."

Portrait image of David Yates who has grey hair, wearing glasses and a dark blue sweatshirt.
David Yates from Bolton says he is happy his great uncle's grave will now have a photo

The photograph of a second soldier, Tpr William Shawcross was discovered by a local history enthusiast, who saw the appeal on the BBC and searched the archives at Warrington Museum & Art Gallery.

Tpr Shawcross was 34 when he was killed in November 1944.

"It was an amazing moment. They rushed up to my office when they found the picture of William," said Philip Jeffs, the museum's Archive & Heritage Officer.

"We were all pouring over the newspaper articles."

Jeffs said it was "really touching" that the museum's archives would lead to William's photo being placed on his gravestone.

"William's story is still alive because someone in the Netherlands is thinking about him and wanting to know more about him."

"William has gone but he's still remembered," he said.

Family Photograph Grainy black and white image of Tpr Shawcross taking from a newspaper article after his death. His is wearing his army uniform. Family Photograph
The image of Tpr William Shawcross was discovered in the local history archives at Warrington Museum & Art Gallery

The third new photograph found was that of Pte Charles Robert Clayton, from Liverpool.

He died in the Netherlands in February 1945, aged 31.

The appeal also unearthed a new clearer image of a fourth soldier buried in Venray - Sgt Leslie Heath, from Liverpool.

The newly discovered photographs have already been put on the soldiers' graves, ahead of a national World War Two commemoration on 4 May 2026.

The Netherlands was occupied by the German army in May 1940 and the town of Venray was liberated by Allied troops in October 1944.

The burials in the cemetery date from October 1944 to March 1945.

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