A SHORT but moving ceremony was held at the weekend in memory of the only soldier in a village who never came home from the First World War.

The service to honour Private Henry Johnson was held at the war memorial at Hilton, near Yarm which is itself right by Ox Hill Farm where Pte Johnson grew up as a farmer's son.

Pte Johnson's life was researched by Joe Kenny who was struck by a the memorial which recorded the names of all the men of Hilton who served but with only one man listed as killed.

Mr Kenny, who is from Liverpool but was visiting relatives in the area, found out that Pte Johnson was killed in action near Martinpuich on the Somme on September 17, 1916, aged just 24. The soldier was serving in the Green Howards' 4th Battalion when he and his comrades were charged with attacking and holding German trenches. The attack was successful but Pte Johnson was killed and his body was never recovered.

Four relatives of Pte Johnson, including his niece, nephew's wife and two people from subsequent generations, attended the ceremony which has held exactly 100 years on from his death. A poem, The Soldier, by Rupert Brooke was read and a minute's silence held as the war memorial was rededicated. Mr Kenny described Pte Johnson as; "a true hero of Hilton".

There were only 53 English and Welsh villages or civil parishes where all serving personnel returned from the First World War. They are known as thankful or blessed villages In our region there was four in North Yorkshire, Cundall and Norton-le-Clay both near Harrogate, Scruton near Northallerton, Helperthorpe near Scarborough, one in County Durham at Hunstanworth west of Consett and only Meldon in Northumberland.