A RANDOM stranger has began to unravel the incredible story behind a mysterious grave while searching for the deceased’s lost family thousands of kilometres away in a quiet suburb of Australia.

Wayne Hartshorne has no connection with the only Australian soldier from World War II who is buried in his local cemetery in Staffordshire, England. The golf course greenkeeper, 52, was a complete stranger when by chance one day in 1992, after tending to his grandfather’s grave, he stumbled upon the grave of Australian RAAF pilot Warrant Officer John Benjamin Burrows.

“I remember thinking, ‘What’s an Australian doing buried here?” Mr Hartshorne told news.com.au from his home town in England.

“There was just something about this grave because, I’ve no idea the distance between England and Australia, but it was just this young man, 21 years old, had come all this way to fight a war and never got the chance to go home.”

Ever since, he has kept the grave spotless in an homage to the Australian because it “is the right thing to do”. He stripped and levelled the turf, erected a small border and now plants bulbs for each season of the year. He visits the grave a couple times a month “depending how much the grass grows”.

Mr Hartshorne has spent 25 years tending to Warrant Officer Burrow’s grave but it took him a number of years to uncover exactly what had happened to the mystery man from across the shore.

“It wasn’t exactly the tidiest church yard,” Mr Hartshorne told news.com.au.

“I just decided I’m going to do this and I’ve done it ever since.”

Now, he’s gone public with his quest to find the fallen soldier’s family back home who are believed to still live in Melbourne — and after more than two decades, he’s beginning to get some answers.

After digging through piles of local news coverage from the war at the local library and from records online, Mr Hartshorne discovered Warrant Officer Burrows had the world at his feet at the time of his death.

He said when he saw a photograph of Warrant Officer Burrows for the first time it was a “pretty special moment”.

But there are certain parts of the puzzle still missing.

The 21-year-old was part of the RAF’s 297 Squadron, based at Netheravon Airfield, Salisbury, when he was killed on April 5, 1943.

His death was blamed on “pilot fatigue” after the British fighter plane he was flying in, nicknamed the “flying coffin”, crashed while on a mission dropping propaganda leaflets over Germany. Part of the 297 Squadron, he was a navigator on the aircraft during the raid and was training to become a paratrooper when heavy fog and artillery fire brought the plane down over France. The pilot had been warned to make an early landing but thought he could make it home. The pilot was also killed in the crash but three others survived.

Warrant Officer Burrows had enlisted for the war in Middle Brighton, in Victoria, but was living in England at the time of his death after marrying an English girl, Marjorie Preece, in August 1942.

How the pair met remains unclear but it is believed Warrant Officer Burrows was buried in England to be close to Marjorie, though she remarried and moved to America shortly after the war.

When he died, his parents chose the wording on his headstone: “Still living, still ours. Mother and Father.” It is believed he had two sisters, while members of the family still live in Victoria.

“I’ve got a daughter who is 21. Losing him at 21, I’ve no idea. It must have been traumatic for the family,” he said.

Mr Hartshorne had been unable to find any Australian relatives but after feeling like he had “drawn a blank” over the years, a niece of Warrant Officer Burrows is believed to have been in touch in the last few weeks.

“Relatives have made contact but I’ve not spoken to them yet, just by email,” Mr Hartshorne said..

“It’s just waiting now. I’ve waited this long, I can keep waiting to find out more.”

He says he’s keen to talk to the family and find out the rest of Warrant Officer Burrows’ story — and let them know his grave will continue to be looked after.

Mr Hartshorne was honoured by the local branch of the RAFA (Royal Air Force Association) who presented him with a certificate of appreciation for tending to the grave. Meanwhile an Australian airman visited the grave on Anzac Day to pay respects from home.

“He must have been the first person from Australia to visit in 75 years — it was very moving,” Mr Hartshorne said.

“I was overwhelmed, gobsmacked. It’s all very humbling. It’s part of my life now. I’ll always tend to it.”

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