After decades of wondering where their loved one was buried, the family of a Second World War veteran traveled to Italy to visit his grave for the first time. The reunion would not have been possible without a gesture from a Manitoba veteran.
The family of James Griffiths stood by his grave in Coriano Ridge War Cemetery after searching for nearly 70 years. They placed a flag on his tombstone, one of hundreds belonging to Canadian soldiers buried in the cemetery.
“I don't think any of us can really even believe we're here,” said Jo Parker, Griffiths’ great-niece.
Just two months ago, the Ontario family found out about their relative thanks to Manitoba veteran Morley Roney, who stood beside Griffiths when he died. “I wish Morley could have been here,” said Parker.
The 91-year-old veteran asked his cousin, Corrin Fraser, in Italy to look for his friend. Roney always wondered if his comrade had received a proper burial.
“I do get a tear in my eye once in a while, as I get talking, just talking about Jimmie,” said Roney.
Roney's cousin found Griffiths’ grave by chance. She'd become lost looking for one cemetery, but found another. That's where she found his grave.
She then posted a picture of his tombstone online where Griffiths' family spotted it and connected with Roney. Just weeks ago, they decided to make the trip to Italy to honour their loved one.
“He went a long ways, but he didn't go far enough. We found him,” said Anna Parker, Griffiths’ niece.
Roney couldn’t make the journey himself, but members of his family went in his place.
“Years ago, my dad was here with Jimmie, and now I'm here with his family and it's just overwhelming,” said Roney’s daughter, Janice MacDonald.
Now all 427 Canadian soldiers buried in Coriano Ridge War Cemetery have Canadian flags on their graves. Many also have personal items sent from family, who never had the chance to visit.
“It started with Jimmie, but I have read stories and seen photographs and heard from families, 35 of them,” said Fraser. “I feel like I've taken the stories of these families and I know these people.”
Fraser has organized the first-ever Remembrance Day service at Coriano Ridge War Cemetery. The ceremony will honour every Canadian buried there, but for the moment, it's all about Jimmie.
His family places a coin on his grave, a little piece of home on the grave of a young soldier who never made it home.
- With a report by Alesia Fieldberg. This is the third story in a five-part series called “The Poppy Trail.”
