Barbara Richardson, the 25 year old wife of a local GP, was killed on active service during WW2 whilst working as a driver. She is buried in Waldershare Churchyard, very close to the old High & Dry pub (now a cider making cafe/restaurant); whilst doing some voluntary work for the Dover War Memorial Project some years back, we found Barbara's grave in a most dreadful state of neglect, most unbecoming for a war hero. As a result, Maggie Stephenson-Knight cleared the way for Michelle and I to adopt the grave so that it would be more fitting as a memorial for the last resting place of one who gave her life at such a young age in the service of her country.
As is our custom on Remembrance Day each year, Michelle and I went up to Waldershare churchyard to lay a poppy cross on her grave and found, to our great joy, that the headstone had been cleaned up by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (after many months of badgering by me!) and is now looking so much better; when we were first trying to find the grave, we couldn't identify the headstone through 60 years of grime and overgrowth. The lettering has still to be repainted, but I would like to record our sincere thanks to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission for doing such a grand job in finally making Barbara Richardson's headstone look worthy of her and her sacrifice.
There is an interesting before and after comparison to be seen on the Dover War Memorial Project's website; here's the link:-
http://www.doverwarmemorialproject.org.uk/Casualties/WWIInotinbook/SurnamesR.htmTrue friends stab you in the front.
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