Today saw one of those occasions that makes the work of the Friends of Hyde Park Cemetery so rewarding. Some months ago, we were contacted by a Dr Gell, who was brought up in Doncaster but is a long-term resident of Italy. He was trying to locate the final resting place of Gilbert and Mary Holden. The Holdens had been neighbours in his childhood days in Doncaster and a very close friendship had developed with this surrogate uncle and aunt.

As a result of that initial contact with the Friends, Dr Gell went on to sponsor the restoration of the grave in question. Much of the restoration was undertaken by our colleagues at the Victoria Cross Trust. The images show Dr Gell and his wife during today’s visit from Italy, as well as showing the previous condition of the grave.