Recognition for a local war hero

After nearly a century, a young soldier from Southland killed in World War 1 is being honoured in his home town.

The Invercargill City Council is arranging to include former Long Bush resident Private Ira Rubel Evans' name on the Invercargill Cenotaph in time for Anzac Day. The 21-year-old infantry soldier was killed in action on the Somme, in France, in 1916, but his name was not on the city's war memorial.

Pte Evans' niece, Betty Snell, said the family were thrilled the council had agreed to correct the oversight.

The omission was discovered by Mrs Snell's husband, Bill, while researching her family tree two years ago. Further investigation revealed the young soldier's name was also missing from war memorials at Woodlands and Kennington.

The Ministry for Culture and Heritage is responsible for looking after the graves of soldiers and memorials to the missing overseas through the Commonwealth War Commission, and ensuring the names of the dead are enshrined on the National War Memorial in Wellington.

The process of collecting names for community war memorials had been ''very hit and miss'', Ministry War Graves senior adviser Margaret Marks said.

At the end of the war, notices were published in newspapers asking for the names of dead soldiers for the community's war memorials, she said. If the dead soldier's family did not live in the district and were therefore unaware of the notices, they would not put their family member's name forward, she said.

However, Pte Evans' name appeared on the National Roll of Honour in the National War Memorial in Wellington and he also had a marked grave in Cite Bonjean Military Cemetery, Armentieres, France.

Since the Invercargill Cenotaph was unveiled in November 1925, 46 new names of fallen World War 1 soldiers had been added as they came to light.

- Petrina Wright.