WILLIE McNulty’s sacrifice was as great as any lord of the manor, which is why his headstone in the Railway Cemetery in Ieper in Flanders, Belgium, is the same size and carries an equivalent inscription.
Willie, a proud son of Brockagh, Co Donegal, Ireland, was a soldier of the Empire too (although Ireland was on its way to breaking from the UK by then) when he fell in 1916.
The 116,000 black and Asian casualties from the First World War were also children of the Empire – only their sacrifice was not recognised with headstones.
Willie’s headstone is a lasting physical testament that he lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, loved and was loved, and now lies In Flanders fields.
My great uncle Willie is, in truth, not easy to find.
And I needed the good services of my guide and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) before, an hour after setting out from my base in Ieper, I was kneeling at his graveside.
READ MORE: Families of Asian soldiers who died fighting for Britain welcome commemoration
You too can discover your relatives here in Ieper – or anywhere British and Empire soldiers fell, because of the continued efforts of the CWGC, who will run your name through their records and reunite you with your ancestor.
I am, 100 years on, the first member of my family to honour Willie’s memory at his graveside.
His brother Patrick is among the 33,783 missing soldiers from these islands inscribed on the Tyne Cot Memorial stone wall, plus a further 1176 New Zealanders.
I can only imagine what thoughts went through their heads before they breathed their last.
I ask my party to join me in the Lord’s Prayer and give thanks that I will soon be lying again with my loved one at home while Willie lies in Flanders fields, and Patrick who knows where?
Across Belgium and France a similar scene plays out daily, yearly, with descendants of soldiers who lost their lives on both sides of the conflict paying their respects.
On German memorials, names are inscribed on walls to proud sons who gave their lives to the Fatherland.
Follow down the scroll of names and you will see many a Cohen and other Jewish names Adolf Hitler must have glossed over when he visited after he became Fuhrer.
In death everyone who gave their lives is remembered … everyone, that is, apart from Asian and African soldiers.
Perhaps now that their sacrifice is going to be marked with inscriptions to their great sacrifice they shall sleep at last.
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