THE great-granddaughter of a soldier who died serving in the Second World War has spoken of her heartache after officials decided against listing him in The Roll of Honour memorial book inside Durham Cathedral.
Matthew Ross died in the Battle of Kohima in April 1944 after enlisting in 1939 with The Durham Light Infantry Second Battalion.
He served on the frontline before he became unwell and was admitted to hospital. After he was discharged he returned to the Second Battalion but a few weeks later he moved to the Army Catering Corps.
His great-granddaughter Suzanne German has been researching the events leading to her great-grandfather’s death.
She said: “I started researching my grandad in 2003 and soon realised that he was not listed in the Roll of Honour book, although he was named on the plaque.
“I rang the regiment and asked why and they said because he was in the Army Catering Corps (ACC), they said they had their own book so he could not be in the DLI book.
“But nobody seems to know where the ACC book is. Whenever somebody writes about the Battle of Kohima they must reference the memorial book in the Cathedral because my grandad is never mentioned, it’s like he wasn’t there. I feel like he’s been forgotten about.”
Pte Ross’ family learned of his death on his son’s 13th birthday. He had two sons and a daughter, all of which have now passed away.
He lived in Etherley Dene, in Bishop Auckland, before moving to Escomb.
Ms German added: “He’s buried in Kohima in a Commonwealth war grave, he’s commemorated out there. We just want him to be remembered here, I don’t understand why he can’t go in the book even if it says he was in the ACC attached to DLI.
“I feel frustrated that he is on the plaque, but they won’t put him in the book, it makes no sense at all for me. I feel like he’s fallen through the cracks.
“He didn’t see his children grow up because he died serving, it’s so sad.”
A spokesperson for Durham Light Infantry said that Pte Ross was not in the Durham Light Infantry and so his name will not go in the Roll of Honour Book.
They added: “He can only go in the Catering Corps and not the DLI as he cannot be mentioned twice.”
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