West Kilbride man, George Young, was a guest at the services in Orvieto, where his late uncle is buried

And almost one year to the day, the pair accompanied the nephew of a West Kilbride man who is commemorated in the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery in Orvieto.

When observing the graves, they noted the name ‘Gunner George Young’ from West Kilbride and thought the name sounded familiar and James set about finding out if the local plumber by the same name was a relation.

When they met, George said: “Gunner George Young was my uncle and I was named after him.”

He had also visited the cemetery to pay his respects to his uncle and was told of what he was like and his army service by two aunts, sisters of Gunner George, one of whom still lives in West Kilbride.

The information was relayed back to Orvieto by James and an invitation was made for George to travel back to Italy as a guest at the annual Acts of Remembrance held in the town on November 2 and he was also invited to take part in memorial services two days later to mark Armed Forces Day in Italy.

In a moving ceremony at the cemetery, George Young laid a wreath of poppies to commemorate his uncle and all the soldiers who were buried there. The Mayor said that having George there as a representative of the people of Scotland and England gave a new significance to their Remembrance Day commemoration. “It is important”, he said, “not only to remember our own dead, but above all to show our gratitude to those persons who came from other countries to guarantee our liberty”. He went on to say, “We would like the involvement of the Orvieto community, as well as the associations of combatants and veterans, resistance fighters and ordinary citizens, in recognising the importance of maintaining and developing relations with the British, who as much as anyone have shown themselves to be friends of our city and our nation”. The Mayor and several key participants then joined George in a more intimate moment around the headstone of his uncle, and a single poppy was placed on the grave.

Later, in the Mayor’s office, George presented him with a Quaich (the cup of friendship) as a gift from the Young family. The Mayor gave George a picture of Orvieto’s famous Duomo, and a book about the city.

George said: “It was an honour to be invited. We also feel gratitude to all those people, both in the armed forces and civilians, who made the ultimate sacrifice and lost their lives fighting for freedom. It is a reminder to all of us that we should be working together to maintain the peace that soldiers like my uncle fought for so hard.”

James said: “As George walked back from the ceremony, with his uncle’s medals proudly displayed on his jacket, two men from the town came up to him and said simply ‘Thank you for your dead”. The sadness of losing loved ones never goes away, but to know that, even after 72 years, ordinary Italian citizens remember the actions of the allies with gratitude, means they did not die in vain.”

Gunner Young was killed in action on June, 30, 1944. He was one of three brothers serving in World War II and along with Alexander and John C Young, he answered the call of his country.

George served with the 78th Division from 1941 until his death in 1944 and was well respected within his regiment. He fought in Algiers in Northern Africa and latterly to Italy.

Following victory in the Battle of the Sangro, George met up with his brother Alec and thereafter entered Rome after its capture on June 4.

His division were sent to fight off the Germans and this is where George met his end.