A private memorial commemorating Captain Francis ‘Toby’ Dodgson, a kinsman of Lewis Carroll and a fallen soldier of the Battle of the Somme, has been restored and permanently secured following its mysterious disappearance. The granite post, erected by his mother and brother over a century ago, marked the spot where Captain Dodgson died on July 10, 1916, while leading an assault on the village of Contalmaison.
Captain Dodgson, aged 27, was part of the 8th Yorkshires regiment, which suffered 361 casualties, including 12 officers, on that day during the Somme offensive. His name is inscribed on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme among the 72,000 names of those with no known grave. His remains were later discovered and reinterred in a nearby cemetery.
After the war, his mother and brother, Philip, who held the Military Cross, established the memorial. It was moved in 1962 to the edge of a track to protect it but vanished in recent years. Unlike official war graves, private memorials are not protected by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
Michel Admiraal, the European representative for The Western Front Association, a charity dedicated to preserving Great War heritage, discovered the memorial was missing. His investigation led to the discovery that a local farmer had moved the granite post, intending to continue farming his land. "It was a case of misunderstanding more than anything else," Admiraal stated.
Admiraal negotiated a new, permanent location for the memorial next to a road, ensuring it would not be moved again. The farmer provided his machinery and services free of charge for the relocation, while Admiraal funded the rest. A rededication ceremony is scheduled to take place exactly 110 years after Captain Dodgson's death, with members of his family, the Yorkshire Regiment, the local mayor, and Admiraal in attendance. The local mayor will also host a civic reception.
Captain Dodgson’s great-great nephew, Philip Pollard, expressed gratitude to Admiraal and the Contalmaison community, stating, "It may have been 110 years ago, but Toby will never be forgotten."