Relatives of Six Fallen Soldiers Traced in Normandy
A two-year search led by a great-nephew of one soldier has identified the families of six British men honored in the village of Le Fournet.
Updated on Nov. 11, 2026 in Historical
The relatives of six British soldiers commemorated in Le Fournet, Normandy, have all been traced after a search that lasted two years. The effort was led by Leigh Dalton, great-nephew of Trooper Benjamin Eyre.
Why it matters
The families of the six men had been unknown to the village that honors them each year. Tracing them connects a local war memorial with the descendants of the soldiers it commemorates.
Six British soldiers are commemorated in Le Fournet, and all six of their relatives have now been located after a two-year search. L/Sgt George Richard Williams, of the 1st Battalion Leicestershire Regiment, died at age 27 while fighting to liberate the village in 1944.
The players
Leigh Dalton
Great-nephew of Trooper Benjamin Eyre, who led the two-year search to trace the families of the six soldiers commemorated in Le Fournet.
Celine Maheut
Mayor of Le Fournet, who challenged Dalton to trace the families and reads the soldiers' names at the annual Bastille Day gathering.
The details
Leigh Dalton began the search after the village mayor, Celine Maheut, challenged him to trace the families. A listener to BBC Radio Leicester came forward with previously unknown details about Williams's children after Dalton appeared on the program in 2024, and two amateur genealogists from Leicestershire helped complete the final links.
Timeline
1944: L/Sgt Williams dies fighting to liberate Le Fournet from German occupation.
2024: Dalton appears on BBC Radio Leicester, prompting a listener to come forward.
Each year on Bastille Day, residents gather at the memorial as Maheut reads the men's names.
Historical Context
The search echoes the Commonwealth War Graves Commission's long-running effort to document and commemorate Second World War dead, many of whom were never connected to surviving families. Tracing descendants of memorialized soldiers keeps those records personal rather than purely administrative.
Readers researching ancestors who served in the Second World War can use local memorial records and regional radio appeals as starting points for tracing family. The Le Fournet search shows that genealogical help from amateur researchers can close gaps that official channels leave open.
The takeaway
Memorials gain new meaning when the families of the people they honor can be found and connected to them. Small acts of local research can restore those links across generations.
Further reading
For more on how wartime memory is kept alive, browse our Historical coverage.
Source note: This article includes information reported by BBC.
