KEIGHLEY soldier Gilbert Hardy Midgley was classed as a deserter when he disappeared the day after arriving for training in Great Yarmouth.
But in reality he had drowned in the nearby River Yare while taking an unfamiliar route back to his base from the local YMCA.
Gunner Midgley’s cries for help as he fought the strong currents were heard by passers-by, but they could not find him in the river in the dark.
The brave young man, son of a Keighley alderman, did not make it to the front line so he was never classed as an official member of the war dead.
But diligent research by amateur historians from Keighley’s Men of Worth Project has now corrected this oversight.
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission spent 12 months reviewing the Project’s evidence about how Gilbert met his death, and this month gave a response.
Men of Worth spokesman Andy Wade said: “We are delighted that the Commonwealth War Graves Commission has added Gilbert’s name to their Perpetual Roll of Honour.
“We would be grateful if any members of his family would contact us and we would be pleased to share our research with them"
http://www.keighleynews.co.uk/news/15919877.___Deserter____was_found_drowned_in_the_river/https://www.menofworth.org.uk/events/gunner-gilbert-hardy-midgley/Sandra
