A PRESTATYN man is trying to trace a memorial stone to one of the unluckiest victims of the First World War.

Private Aneurin Owen Roberts was not only killed on November 11, 1918, just hours before peace was declared, but it believed that he was killed by friendly fire.

The sad tale of the 22-year-old, the son of John and Kate Roberts from Glasfryn, near Cerrigydrudion, was passed down through the generations and Elfryn Jones, a retired mental health worker, remembers hearing it as a young boy.

Mr Jones’ great-grandmother was the soldier’s sister, and so Mr Jones, who had always had an interest in such matters, set out to carry out some research.

He found that Private Roberts, a farm worker, originally enlisted with the Royal Welch Fusiliers before transferring to the 50th Battalion Machine Gun Corps.

Through the War Graves Commission, Mr Jones discovered that he had been buried at Busigny in North-East France, and so Mr Jones and his family visited the cemetery, the first members of the family to do so in 80 years.

Among his proud possessions are postcards sent by Private Roberts from the Western Front and the citation on his death.

Mr Jones’ late grandmother, who was only five at the time, remembered the news of his death being delivered.

Mr Jones, of The Avenue, Prestatyn, also has a set of Welsh verses written by Aneurin’s brother Edward as a tribute.

One verse reads:

Am fisoedd bu fy nghalon

Ar faes y Rhyfel erch

Y ti, fy mrawd Aneurin,

Oedd gwrthrych pena’m serch.

Though he was born in Glasfryn, Aneurin lived for many years with his uncle and aunt at Rhiw, near Bylchau, and a memorial plaque stood in the grounds of the local chapel.

Some years closed, it has since been converted into a private house, but Mr Jones does not know what happened to the plaque.

“I have enquiries in the area, but no-one seems to know what became of it.

"I would love to track it down,” he said.