Ceremony to unveil headstone on unmarked grave of Worksop soldier – 100 years after death

The Worksop branch of the Royal British Legion is hosting an event to reveal the headstone on the resting place of Lance Sergeant Thomas Highton.

The commemorative stone will be unveiled and consecrated in a ceremony on Tuesday, September 19, at Worksop`s Retford Road Cemetery.

Members of Worksop’s RBL first contacted the Commonwealth War Graves Commission nearly five years ago after discovering the unmarked grave in 2018.

After raising it with the RBL, Adie Platts, former interim branch chairman,contacted the CWGC to persuade them to mark the grave.

He said: “It just needed to be done – it was the right thing to do.”

“My sacrifice of a few hours in the warm on my laptop looking for a bit of information is far less compared with the sacrifices he put down 100 years ago.”

L/Sgt Highton, whose name is on Worksop’s war memorial, was born in Worksop in 1892.

He enlisted in the Sherwood Foresters Special Reserve at age 17 in 1909, but died in 1919 after contracting several illnesses during his service in India

The soldier was found to be in an unmarked grave in Retford Road Cemetery after a campaign in 2018 by the RBL which saw poppies placed on lampposts and street signs outside homes in Worksop where men who fell in the Great War had previously lived.

Gary Kyriacou, of Park Street, found out through the project that L/Sgt Highton had lived in his home, but when he went to find out more he discovered the unmarked grave.

For the last few years, L/Sgt Highton’s resting place has been marked by a temporary cross made from ancient oak thanks to Age UK’s Men in Sheds group.

Tuesday’s service will start at Retford Road Cemetery at 10.40am followed by a reception at the Town Hall at 11.30am. For catering purposes at the Town Hall, those wishing to attend are asked to contact Grant Cullen, at [email protected], or Mr Platts at [email protected]

Parking is limited, guests can also use Manton Sports and Social Club.