THE sacrifice made by a soldier from Blackburn on the battlefields of France toward the end of the First World War is being remembered on a daily basis on the other side of the Atlantic.

Paul Osman from Illinois was retracing his grandfather’s movements in the Great War when he visited the British Cemetery of La-Ville-aux-Bois near Reims where 564 soldiers are buried..

Paul said: “While visiting the cemetery, I was drawn to a single grave where an iris plant caught my eye. The morning sun between the gravestones seemed to make the plant glow. The gravestone near the Iris was for a Private T Martin, a private in the 1st/4th Battalion East Yorkshire Regiment.”

After returning to the States, Paul did some research into Pte Martin and discovered that he was killed in June 3, 1918 as the East Yorks advanced pushing the Germans back from ground they had taken during the spring offensive, he had just turned 19.

Through his research Paul found that pension records show Private Martin’s mother Mary Ann was living in Blackburn at the time at 376 Bolton Road still stands today.

What makes the story remarkable however is a little piece of France which now resides in Paul and his wife Pauline’s garden in Williamsville, about three hours south of Chicago..

Paul said: “While kneeling at the gravesite, I noticed a small piece of iris bulb laying on the ground. It had been dropped by the gardener or perhaps chopped by the lawn mower. The piece was smaller than a coin.

“I wrapped it in a tissue and carried it back to the US.

“For two years, my wife and I have nursed this tiny piece of bulb back to health. We named it “Thomas Martin”. This spring, we finally planted “Thomas Martin” in a flower bed at the front of our house and it has thriving (see photo).

“The plant reminds us every day of the sacrifice Private Thomas Martin and his mother Mary Ann made during the Great War. It is our way of remembering.”

Paul’s grandfather, Sgt Andrew Claus, served with the infantry in France with the American Army and his father Sgt Eugene Osman with the tank destroyer battalion in the Second World War.

Paul recently retired as the Water Resources Programs Chief for the State of Illinois. He has a keen interest in the the First World War and tries to visit France every spring.