THE niece of an Australian First World War soldier wept at his grave after travelling thousands of miles to see his final resting place.

“It has made me feel closer to him – it’s comforting to see that my uncle’s grave is so well looked after,” said Elizabeth Mott, 72, from New South Wales.

The mother-of-three, her two daughters and son-in-law arrived at the Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery in Botley yesterday to visit the grave of Private John ‘Jack’ Till.

Mrs Mott visited the cemetery with her daughters Christine Priest and Narelle Slade and her son-in-law Shane Slade.

She left a wooden cross at the graveside, which said: ‘From Your Family Who Have Never Forgotten You’.

Mrs Mott added: “I have been to the UK before but I have never visited my uncle’s grave until today.

“Three years ago the family started to find out more about his life story and decided we would try to visit during the years marking the centenary of the First World War. When we were growing up mum would talk about my uncle all the time and I have come here and shed a tear for him.

“I’m so glad we have been able to come here – it has been the journey of a lifetime.”

Private Till travelled to England in 1916 from his home in New South Wales and served in Belgium and France with the 54th Battalion of the Australian Imperial Force.

After being seriously wounded in November 1917, he was taken to hospital at Rouen in France and evacuated to the UK to the 3rd General Hospital in Oxford where his left leg had to be amputated.

Despite being very ill, he married nurse Martha Dickins in June 1918 and was transferred to the Australian Auxiliary Hospital in Southall, Middlesex, to recuperate in October 1918.

Private Till was discharged from hospital in February 1919 and went to live with Martha in Oxford but within days he caught meningitis and died aged 23 on February 22 before being buried in Botley.

On Easter Monday, Mrs Mott’s family visited St Paul’s Cathedral to see a piece of embroidery which Private Till helped to make.

When he was at the hospital in Southall Private Till was among the wounded soldiers encouraged to take up embroidery as a form of therapy.

Private Till was one of 137 men from around the world who were involved in creating the frontal.

During their two-week stay in Europe the family also visited battlefields in France and Belgium.

Mrs Mott thanked Jane Robinson, a volunteer at St Paul’s Cathedral, for getting in touch with the family when she discovered Private Till had been buried in Oxford.

She added: “It’s so sad he survived the war and then died from meningitis.

“If he had lived he would have returned home to Australia.”

Mrs Slade added: “We have come full circle from when we first started to find out more about John’s life.”