Family 'over the moon' at lost WW1 soldier's burial in France
Sjt Ashton initially served 12 and a half years with the Seaforth Highlanders before working for the Midland Railway Company.He rejoined the Army in March 195, first with the Derbyshire Yeomanry before transferring to the 14th Battalion Durham Light Infantry in October 1916.Following his death in 1917, Captain Allden Owles sent a letter to his family which said that Sjt Ashton died "instantly" and served "bravely".
Sjt Ashton's remains were discovered during construction work for a new hospital in Lens, and DNA testing of metal ribbons led to formal identification.Mr Brookes said: "You always wonder about somebody who's been in the military and killed in the war, how it had happened, and hope that he'd never suffered."When the letter dropped through the door saying the Ministry of Defence found him, we were over the moon."A pocket watch found with Sjt Ashton's remains and other items have since been returned to the family, as well as a union jack flag that had been draped over his coffin.
The service was organised by the MoD's Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre, also known as the MoD War Detectives.One of their investigators, Alexia Clarke, said: "I think they were delighted to know in a strange kind of way."It brings closure, even after 110 years."
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THE CANNY COOK: Anyone for rotisserie chicken baguettes?
In my 20s, I spent a couple of lazy summers driving around southern France, drifting between hilltop villages, sun-soaked markets and crystalline lakes for an afternoon dip. By far my most vivid food memory of those trips is of the rotisserie chickens we'd buy from stalls by the roadside – slowly spinning on their spits, with deep-tan skin and buttery juices dripping down onto potatoes below. We'd take them, packed in butcher's paper, to the lake with a fresh baguette, a tub of aïoli and a head of lettuce… the makings of the best sandwiches I can remember. I recreate them to this day, and while my local supermarket couldn't have less in common with a Provençal rotisserie, their chickens hold up surprisingly well. It's something in the cooking method – the low-and-slow direct heat and the continuous basting – that renders the skin sticky and golden and the meat fall-off-the-bone tender. Rotisserie chickens are the ultimate convenience food, particularly in peak summer when I wilt at the thought of turning on the oven. They make an easy protein in salads – maybe with leaves, avocado and a Caesar dressing, or in a crunchy Asian-style slaw. They can easily be shredded into tacos and tortilla wraps, or tossed with cold noodles and a spicy peanut dressing. Though, for me, nothing beats those baguettes. 1 baguette, £1.20; 180g aïoli (or mayonnaise), £1.60 METHOD Separate the leaves from the lettuce and rinse. Spin or pat dry with kitchen towel. Pull the meat from the bones of the rotisserie chicken and shred. Also shred the skin and mix everything together. Taste and season with a little salt and pepper if it needs it. Split open the baguette and spoon on some of the aïoli (or mayonnaise). Fill with chicken and lettuce leaves and enjoy.
