Grave of Shrewsbury soldier identified in Belgium
A poignant rededication service has taken place in Belgium to honour Captain John Russell Pound, a Shrewsbury soldier and schoolmaster whose final resting place has remained a mystery for more than 110 years.
The ceremony, held on Tuesday, 18 March, at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s Tyne Cot Cemetery, was attended by his descendants, including his great-great-nephew, Sir Robert Pound. The identification of his grave marks the conclusion of a century-long search for a man whose loss was deeply felt by his family and the community of Shrewsbury School.
Captain Pound was a prominent figure at Shrewsbury School, where he served as a housemaster and took a leading role in the Officer Training Corps. Upon the outbreak of the First World War in August 1914, he applied for a commission and was appointed to the 3rd Battalion, The King’s Shropshire Light Infantry. He was subsequently attached to the 2nd Battalion for active service on the Western Front, where he would eventually meet his end during the brutal Second Battle of Ypres.
The circumstances of his death in April 1915 reflect the desperate nature of the conflict. Following unsuccessful attempts to retake a lost trench near Zonnebeke, Captain Pound’s battalion took up positions in the adjoining lines. It was there, on 27 April, that the 27-year-old officer was shot by a sniper. He died without regaining consciousness and, in the chaos of the ensuing years of war, his body was recovered but could not be identified. For decades, he was buried as an "unknown captain" of his regiment, and his name was recorded on the Menin Gate among the thousands with no known grave.
The breakthrough in the case came after a dedicated researcher submitted evidence to the CWGC suggesting the unknown officer in Tyne Cot was indeed Captain Pound. Meticulous follow-up research by the National Army Museum and the Ministry of Defence’s Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre (JCCC) confirmed the findings. This allowed for a new headstone to be engraved with his name, ensuring he is now appropriately commemorated alongside his comrades.
During the service, which was conducted by Father Terkura Igbe of the 1st Battalion, The Mercian Regiment, Sir Robert Pound spoke of the deep honour the family felt in finally being able to visit his grave. He described his ancestor not just as a soldier, but as a beloved son and brother. The tragedy of his death was compounded by the fact that he was the eldest of six children and heir to the Pound baronetcy, a title he never lived to inherit. He was also the second of two brothers in the family to be killed during the Great War.
The JCCC, which organised the rededication, noted that the successful identification has brought closure to a story that began in 1915. Officials from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission reaffirmed their commitment to caring for the grave in perpetuity, ensuring that Captain Pound’s sacrifice, and the identity he has finally regained, will be remembered by generations to come.
