Missing First World War soldier's grave rededicated in Belgium

Pipe Major William Mitchell plays the lament during the rededication service for Captain Gilliland. (Crown copyright)

A rededication service was held on 11 July 2024 at the grave of Captain (Capt) Valentine Knox Gilliland in the CWGC Divisional Collecting Post Cemetery and Extension, on the outskirts of Ypres.

The service was attended by members of the extended Gilliland family who had come to pay their respects.

Capt Gilliland arrived on the Western Front on 18 January 1915 where he joined 2nd Battalion The Royal Irish Rifles in Belgium. On 21 April 1915, Capt Gilliland was wounded when a periscope he was looking through was hit by a sniper’s bullet. Fragments of the glass smashed into his face cutting his nose and chin. He recovered and returned to duty. He was later killed in action on 22 March 1918.

Capt Gilliland’s grave was lost during the war. But his remains were later recovered and buried as those of an unknown captain of The Royal Irish Rifles in Divisional Collecting Post Cemetery and Extension. Because he was listed as missing, he was commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial. 

The discovery of Capt Gilliland’s grave came about after a researcher submitted evidence to CWGC to suggest that his final resting place had been identified. After further research by CWGC, the National Army Museum and JCCC, their findings were confirmed.

The service was organised by the MOD’s Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre (JCCC), also known as the ‘MOD War Detectives’ and was attended by serving soldiers of The Royal Irish Regiment.

The rededication service was attended by members of the Gilliland family. (Crown copyright)

JCCC Caseworker, Rosie Barron, said: “It has been an honour to organise the rededication service for Capt Gilliland today and to have had his extended family present. Capt Gilliland, or Val as he was known, is clearly still fondly remembered by his family. The identification of his grave ends more than a century of uncertainty for them about his fate.”

Anne Gilliland, a cousin of Capt Gilliland said: “This somehow heals a void that we always felt was there even after so much time had passed. It is sad to think that his mother and brother never learned where he lay. I am deeply grateful to the MOD for their efforts to identify Val and only wish the same might be possible for these other families who have suffered tragic losses also.”

Reverend Jason Clarke MBE CF, Chaplain to 1st Battalion The Royal Irish Regiment who conducted the service said: "Capt Valentine Gilliland was a young man with energy, style and dash. He served his battalion despite wounds and lost his life standing with those he led. His grave, now identified, is his final resting place set amongst those who died alongside him. Each one a treasured soul and each one remembered by a grateful nation which honours the service of the fallen."

A wreath is laid at Captain Gilliland's graveside on behalf of The Royal Irish Regiment. (Crown copyright)

The headstone over the grave was replaced by CWGC.

Geert Bekaert, Area Director for CWGC, said: “Caring for Captain Valentine Gilliland’s grave is a privilege. The CWGC is devoted to ensuring that this serviceman, who made the ultimate sacrifice, is remembered with the dignity and respect he deserves. We are committed to preserving his memory for generations to come, providing a place of reverence and respect.”

Captain Valentine Knox Gilliland

Valentine Knox Gilliland was born on 15 February 1889 in Londonderry, Ireland. He was the youngest of three sons born to George Knox Gilliland D.L. and his wife Frances Jane of the Brook Hall Estate.

Valentine was educated at Lockers Park Prep School in Hemel Hempstead and Foyle College in Londonderry before attending Trinity College Cambridge in 1907, where he studied Mechanism and Applied Science. He was a keen sportsman and is said to have owned one of the first sports cars in Donegal. Upon his graduation in 1910, Valentine was apprenticed to a London grain merchant. In the spring of 1912, he travelled across Canada to Vancouver.

Whilst at Cambridge Valentine was a member of the Officers’ Training Corps and he received a commission into the Reserve of Officers in 1912. He joined the Ulster Volunteer Force and commanded a company within 5th Donegal Regiment. On 10 January 1915, Valentine was posted to the 3rd (Reserve) Battalion The Royal Irish Rifles, in Dublin. He was promoted to the rank of Captain.

A week before the death of Capt Gilliland, news reached the family of the death of his cousin, Lieutenant William Millar Major Gilliland of 2nd Battalion The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, who was killed in action in the Dardanelles on 30 April 1915. On the day that Capt Gilliland’s mother, Frances, learned the news of her son’s death, she had received a letter from him informing her that the battalion was going into action.

Photo courtesy of the Gilliland family.

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