Cecilia Hannon travelled to the cemetery near Amiens to visit the grave of her great-uncle, John (Jack) Edward Tucker and place on his grave soil from the property at Scully Street, Coolah where he lived until he left for the trenches of France in 1917. 

Private Tucker was killed on  August  17, 1918 while serving with the 45th Battalion AIF.  He was 19 years old. 

Speaking from Amiens over the weekend, Cecilia described her journey to France to see her great uncle’s grave as the final act in her project to bring some small recognition to Jack’s short life and war service.

“For many years Jack would possibly have been forgotten by the relatives of his four surviving brothers Vincent, Harry, Sylvester and Leo but I don’t doubt for a moment that his parents John and Minnie or his brothers would have stopped quietly grieving for him in those sad years after 17 August 1918,” she said. 

“As generations in families pass, lads like Jack Tucker who went off to that European conflict have been in danger of being forgotten forever.

“I really wanted to ensure that at this time of commemoration of the Centenary of the First World War, I could do something to reconnect Jack with his family and home town of Coolah and give him the recognition he deserves after lying in French soil for the past 98 years.”

“Fouquescout British Military Cemetery is a beautiful place in a rural setting,  like all the cemeteries I’ve visited in the past few days,  and I commend the Commonwealth War Graves Commission for their work in making these sacred places where young Australians lie, so serene.

“It’s where visitors from all nations can reflect on the tragedy of the shocking loss of young lives that was the First World War”.