WW1 soldier to receive recognition

The grave of a World War One soldier will be commemorated with an official headstone, 108 years after his death.

Burslem’s Pte Alfred Holdcroft died in 1918 while he was recovering from injuries he sustained on the opening day of the Somme offensive in July 1916.

He was laid to rest in Burslem Cemetery but his grave was left unmarked until it was rededicated during a ceremony in September last year when a wooden cross was set in the ground.

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission initially denied an application for an official headstone but, following a review, the decision has now been overturned.