Successful search locates Indian grave of long-lost St Boswells soldier

But the formalities in India only came about following painstaking research and legwork of Walter Francis Shore's grandson.

In December Iain Shore will return to Uttar Pradash along with representatives of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission to honour the son of St Boswells.

The 60-year-old from Warwickshire returned to India in 2014 with his wife Kshama to scatter the ashes of her mother at the sacred Hindu confluence of the Ganges at Allahabad.

While in the country the couple headed north in an attempt to find the long-lost grave of Iain's grandfather.

And, with a little help from the locals, they found the broken headstone in the middle of a vast graveyard in Saharanpur.

Iain explained: "Saharanpur is a town off the tourist map, with no concessions to tourism whatsoever - it is unashamedly industrial.

"While wandering round the town looking for cemeteries on Saturday morning, a chemist, opening his shop, noticed us looking lost and asked if he could help.

"Kshama, her Hindi coming back with amazing speed, explained our predicament.

"Mr Kapoor called his brother Praveen, who took us in his car first to one cemetery, then to the other, near St Thomas's Church.

"After the caretaker unlocked it, we found a large, walled and overgrown cemetery with a central pathway and small, open chapel. Various trees were dotted around. A peaceful place, despite the proximity of the railway to the end wall.

"But boy, the graves... there were hundreds.

"Luckily, a group of young boys had followed us in, out of curiosity, and were watching our every move.

"The brainwave was to use the boys. In true Sherlock Holmes style, "one hundred rupees to the boy who finds this grave", and off they ran.

"It took no more than ten minutes with the increased manpower, when the caretaker's son found it, the slab cracked across and a peepul tree growing through it.

"The cross had fallen from the stepped base, and someone had laid it carefully on the slab, albeit in three pieces."

Walter Francis Shore, who was always known as Frank, was born in St Boswells, on October 4, 1869 - the third son of William Shore, Huntsman to the Duke of Buccleuch.

He grew up around, and developed a love of horses, going on to become keen and successful amateur jockey, winning many prizes, often as far afield as Ireland.

He was educated locally, and then at the New Veterinary College, Edinburgh, now part of Edinburgh University, where he won the prize for Practical Chemistry in 1885.

In 1895 he joined the Army as a vet and travelled to India, just days after winning the prestigious Meath Hunt Cup in Ireland on Son of a Gun.

The newly commissioned Lieutenant was almost immediately sent off to the campaign in the Tirah and the Punjab frontier, where the main transport was not the horse, but the mule.

His main posting was to the Army Remount Depot in Saharanpur.

There, he steadily progressed to Major, becoming Senior Veterinary Surgeon, and also Procurement Officer, travelling to Argentina and Australia to buy horses.

All this was in the days before the First World War.

Iain continued: "Frank was an unconventional dresser, preferring horsey tweeds to flannels, and always smoking cheroots in gold-bound holders.

"I have a picture of him at the local tennis club in India, everyone in whites, him in a hacking jacket, dreadful trilby and cigar in mouth."

At the outset of war in August 1914, demands on the Depot accelerated as the need for the resupply of horses increased significantly.

The following April, 44-year-old Frank married 21-year-old Constance Louisa Watling, the daughter of Lt Col Gordon Watling, 13th Rajputs, the Military Censor in India.

The wedding was solemnised in St Thomas's Church, Saharanpur, close to the Remount Depot.

Iain's aunt, Barbara, was born in November that same year, and Frank was also promoted Lieutenant Colonel and appointed Commandant of the Depot - performing three jobs at the time of greatest demand on the service.

Iain's father, Scott Shore was born in 1916, just two days before Frank died.

Iain, who is a retired tax advisor and army officer, said: "My father was born on December 4, 1916 - two days later Frank died.

"The autopsy said stomach haemorrhage but his deputy said in his report that the Army was responsible, as it had refused to lighten his load, which was unsustainable for any one man.

"That poor man must have forfeited any promotion for his honesty."

Almost straight away, Constance and her two babies, had to leave their provided accommodation, travelling all the way across India to Darjeeling, to the Happy Valley tea plantation where her family were based.

She remarried two years later to another, much older, man, Lt Col Keith Hungerford Jackson, of Probyn's Horse.

Iain's father, Scott, who went onto win the British Military Cross and the French Croix de Guerre during the Korean conflict, and his mother, Penelope, left India during World War II and never returned.

Iain explained: "As far as I was aware, nobody from our family had visited Frank's grave, or even been to that area in the 98 years since his death.

"Neither of my parents went back to India after leaving - they were dismayed by the terrible events of Partition."

When Iain and Kshama finally found Frank's grave in Saharanpur they decided that the headstone should be repaired.

They located a stonemason in the town and, despite having a tight schedule, asked if a replacement slab could be made and placed before their departure.

Iain explained: "The following day was Sunday, and we were to leave on Monday.

"We chose a slab and turned up at 8am the next morning, just before the truck arrived.

"The stonemason had visited during the previous evening, measured the existing slab, cut the new one to size, and had made a cross to match.

"They removed the stepped base, then the two halves of the original slab, then broke up the foundations to provide a key, setting new concrete and hardcore in place.

"The old base was used as a bottom, and the new cross was laid horizontally on the slab and cemented in place.

"It was done, and all on a Sunday before lunch - only in India."

In December Iain and others members of his family will return to Saharanpur to commemorate the anniversary of Walter Francis Shore's death.

They will be joined by representatives of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission at the ceremony.

Iain added: "The Commonwealth War Graves Commission had tried, and failed, to locate the grave, one of two in that cemetery in which they were interested, so they will be coming to the commemoration, and will take over maintenance of his grave thereafter.

"We cannot thank them enough."

Frank's name is engraved on the War memorial in Madras.

His grave has now been added to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission's register.

A spokesman for the Commonwealth War Graves Commission said: "We conducted two surveys in Saharanpur Cemetery but had no success in locating the war graves until Mr Shore contacted us.

"We were delighted to hear of his success in locating and restoring the grave.

"Mr Shore has very kindly provided us with images and a record of the work and our Sector Manager in India, has been in contact with him over longer term arrangements for the grave’s care.

"Mr Shore’s dedication to locating his grandfather’s war grave is to be applauded. We look forward to working with him to secure the long term care of the grave and thus ensure this brave man will always be remembered."