The veteran who travels the country cleaning military graves

In the shadows of St John's Church, 240 almost identical military gravestones are lined up in uniform rows. But most have been untouched since they were installed about 70 years ago.

Many are covered in black mould and lichen, with others wonky or falling apart - until this week.

A group of veterans and community volunteers at the church in Sharow, near Ripon, have worked to clean the memorials,taught by qualified stonemason and former soldier Steve Davies.

The 68-year-old, who served with the Royal Green Jackets (RGJ) infantry regiment, has spent his retirement so far travelling across the British Isles, finding "forgotten military graves".

His efforts began when he saw a grave for an 18-year-old member of the Rifle Brigade, which became part of the RGJ in 1966.

The rifleman had died six weeks before the Armistice, but his grave was "absolutely overgrown and black", Davies says.

"You couldn't read it. I just thought 'that's not right'."

Eight years ago, he and his wife restored the grave and returned the following week to fix five more.

Davies, who is from Kent, estimates he has since restored about 1,600 graves, including dozens paying tribute to Victoria Cross recipients.

Through his not-for-profit community interest company, Davies employs two researchers to track down relatives of those who died.

He also works closely with The Royal Engineers Association (REA) to restore the charity's war memorials.

For the last three years, the charity has commissioned him to run training sessions for veterans around the country.

The project has been "very successful", he says, with some participants getting jobs in the stonemasonry industry.

In Ripon, the REA's chief executive joins volunteers in cleaning the graves.

Ken Kirk, himself a veteran, says the work is "quite physical".

"Until you've cleaned them, you can't see the names and the cap badges," he adds.

"These are people who would have been serving in the first world war, maybe in the second and some maybe even in the Boer War."

The 240 military graves being cleaned at St John's belong to residents of Lister House, a care home operated by the Royal British Legion, which was on land adjacent to the church until it was relocated in the 1980s.

"There's no families now to look after them so it's a good opportunity to get the local community involved, our local veterans up here," Kirk says.

He adds that opportunities for veterans to meet and work with each other are "critical".

"There are people who maybe haven't communicated or maybe got a bit isolated, particularly after Covid," he explains.

"Getting them to do something, even if it's only one day here, it means they've got a whole load of new connections."

"Cleaning graves, especially military ones, it helps you with your head," Davies adds.

"I served in the army in the 70s, when Northern Ireland wasn't a very nice place, and I've got complex PTSD, anxiety and depression.

"I've got some good drugs but what I do here gives me a lot of satisfaction."

Alongside local veterans, residents have volunteered their time to help.

Teenager Joe Catton says his grandparents told him about the project.

"When I heard that they were finally cleaning it, because it has been in a bit of a state for as long as I remember, I thought it's the right thing to do, I've got a free day. Why not?"

The 19-year-old adds: "To see them shining white is brilliant."

Sarah Steel, who has lived in Ripon since 1999, says it is a "worthwhile job".

Her husband, two sons and father-in-law all served in the military.

"I only found out today that Lister House used to be in Sharow and that is why all these gravestones are here," she says.

The result is "pretty amazing", she beams.

"I don't know when they were last cleaned, if ever, but I will be back here in a couple of years' time if somebody lets me know."

In most of the places he visits, Davies hopes to train volunteers to maintain graves on an annual basis.

In Ripon, he has identified "a couple" of possible candidates, but may return himself instead.

"It just annoys me a bit that these are Royal British Legion graves from the old Lister House, but they don't seem to be interested," he says.

A spokesperson for the charity, which does not own the land, says: "War memorials and graves honour the memory of every member of the Armed Forces who has made the ultimate sacrifice and deserve to be treated with the utmost respect.

"However, the Royal British Legion is not responsible for the upkeep, maintenance or repair of gravestones, this responsibility lies with the relevant family or landowner."

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