A VISIT to the grave a teenage soldier struck a personal chord with Monmouth MP David Davies.

Mr Davies visited graves in Monmouth and Penallt as part of a national initiative to increase people's understanding of the scale of the First World War and its impact on society today.

The MP was joined on visit by Andy Knowlson, the regional supervisor of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) which maintains 51 memorials in Monmouthshire to servicemen and women who lost their lives in the two world wars.

Mr Davies said: "The first grave we saw was of a 19 year-old who had served in the Royal Artillery.

"I also served in the Royal Artillery (TA) as a 19 year-old and it was a graphic reminder of how lucky my generation was to have avoided the horrors of war."

The grave was of Reginald Davis who was killed in July 1943.

Mr Davies added: "Mr Knowlson told me the widows of those who died were able to have their ashes scattered on the graves of their fallen husbands.

"To my surprise, I heard this still happens. Many women married and were widowed at a young age in World War Two and even now some want to be reunited in death with the person who may have been their first love."

Mr Davies has urged Monmouthshire schools and residents to visit local Commonwealth war graves.

"The centenary of the outbreak of the Great War is not just about commemorating those people who lost their lives fighting for their country but also to educate a new generation about the events that happened 100 years ago," he said.

 "It is important we continue to remember the sacrifice of those who died, and in the wars since then.

"I am glad that, on our behalf, the CWGC honours that sacrifice through the maintenance of cemeteries, burial plots and memorials in some 153 countries around the world."