Graveside surprise as Adam fulfils anniversary vow

Despite there being 1,500 graves in the cemetery, the pair were heading straight for the grave at which he was standing.

"We did the pleasantries and said good morning," said Adam. "Then he asked me what my name was, and I told him. At this he said: 'I'm related to you.' That took me aback. I was quite shocked and couldn't really take it in."

It quickly became apparent that the strangers were doing exactly as Adam was - making a special effort on the exact centenary of the death of their mutual relative Private William Chidlow to pay their respects at his grave.

"They were a Mr and Mrs Neil Hutchon, originally from Dundee but now living in Bristol. William Chidlow was a relative of his and Mr Hutchon was a second cousin of mine. I was not aware of this branch of the family and didn't know about them at all.

"It was a wonderful moment, having more family commemorating at the graveside and added to the emotion of the whole experience."

Wolverhampton soldier Private Chidlow was in the Northumberland Fusiliers, having previously been in the Royal Engineers. He was 34 when he was killed by shellfire at 7am on October 13, 1917, at Stray Farm at Pilkem, near Ypres.

Adam, who is managing director of Fields estate agents in Shifnal, and lives in Albrighton, had made the special centenary pilgrimage to Belgium along with his uncle John Chidlow and cousin Tiernan Chidlow.

They went to the exact spot where Private Chidlow died and stood there in the pre-dawn darkness to honour him at the exact time, 100 years on, of his death. It's now a flat landscape of fields and a few farm buildings, and they had a ghostly audience of curious cattle. A farmer rolled up and Adam explained to him why they were there. Although his English was not good, he understood.

The little party then made their way to the nearby Artillery Wood cemetery, where Private Chidlow is buried, and Adam gave an emotional reading of the poppy poem and laid wreaths.

And as they stood in the cemetery, there was another surprise. Private Chidlow's grave is one of five side-by-side of Northumberland Fusiliers who died on that same day.

"There's a chance that these five lost souls were potentially friends of his from the same regiment.

"Two other people came into the cemetery and walked towards us. It turned out they were visiting grave of their relative - a great uncle - which was the grave next to William Chidlow's. And then within five or 10 minutes another three people turned up, walked straight to where we were, and they had come to commemorate the relative buried on the other side of William Chidlow.

"I thought it was, let's call it a divine moment. It was an experience you would never have dreamed would have been possible. Three families were there together."

One of the families had brought five remembrance crosses, including one pre-written to put on William Chidlow's grave.

There was a bonus too. Adam had never seen a photo of his great-grandfather. But on their return to Britain one of his new-found relatives sent him one.

"It was the perfect end to the trip, an emotional and poignant end which put a face to the man."

At the time Adam and his party went into the cemetery it was deserted and it would, he said, have been so easy for them to miss the others by minutes, or perhaps pass and say good morning without knowing who they were.

William Chidlow lived at Dunstall Road in Wolverhampton and left a wife and five children. His widow died within a year of his death of flu, leaving the orphaned children to be brought up, Adams thinks, by aunts and uncles.

Adam says his grandfather Ron Chidlow, who had died 25 years ago in his 90s, had searched for his father's grave, but without the internet and modern resources never found out where he lay.

Fifteen years ago Adam happened to be in Belgium and, having a bit of spare time there, succeeded with a friend in tracking down the grave.

"It was an emotional experience, as to my knowledge no other family member had visited it."

And he made a pledge then that he would return for the 100th anniversary of his death, which finally arrived last month, when he made good on that pledge.

Adam, 44, recounted the story of his great-grandfather and his remarkable graveyard visit on Remembrance Sunday at St Andrew's Church, Shifnal, done in the form of an interview by the vicar, the Rev Chris Thorpe.

In a last twist, one of the relatives sent him a number of William's original personal effects, including his bible and the Royal Engineers cap badge which he is wearing on his cap in the evocative photograph.