Amazing clue that helped identify WW2 hero - 80 years after his death

A WWII hero who died in the Battle of Arnhem was identified by his university tie, it emerged today.

Glider pilot Lieutenant Dermod Anderson was laid to rest today, 80 years after he was killed in battle. He had taken his Liverpool University tie with him when he went off to war and tucked it away in a pocket as he flew across the Channel.

It was only when metal detectorists found his body last year they discovered the tie, still clearly recognisable. Dermod, who was 36, and Private Henry Moon, who was 21, were both buried in emotional funerals today after their remains were both found last year and they were formally identified by DNA.

READ MORE: Brit Army soldiers given poignant funerals - 80 years after they were killed in Arnhem

Both men were killed during Operation Market Garden in Holland in September 1944. Over 250 people - including many locals - made the effort to attend the funerals yesterday at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery at Arnhem Oosterbeek.

When Dermod’s body was found the discovery of the tie indicated they were his remains and DNA tests later confirmed it. His great nephew Lieutenant Colonel Julian Anderson attended his funeral and actually followed his Great Uncle into the British army. He was clearly moved that his body had been found all these years later.

By coincidence Lt Col Anderson, who is with Nato’s Joint Support and Enabling Command based in Ulm, Germany, had walked barely 50 metres from where Dermod’s body was buried on one of four previous trips he had made to Arnhem.

In an exclusive interview with the Mirror he said: “When they found his remains last year they found his University of Liverpool tie put away in the pocket of his parachute smock. That gave them a clue to his identity. He had studied architecture at Liverpool before the war.

“They gave me a call and said they may - may - have found his remains. They asked for a DNA test. I gave them a cheek swab and they checked it with DNA from his left femur and it was a match. His body was first found by metal detectorists who were searching in the area.”

He explained: “Dermod was my great uncle - my grandad’s brother. There was always a photo of him in the study when I was growing up. He was a glider pilot and officially listed as ‘missing’. He had always wanted to be a glider pilot but he was originally turned down because he had ear problems but eventually they let him in. He was on Operation Overlord before being involved at Arnhem."

He knew he was following in his great uncle’s footsteps when he joined the army but had no idea how close their paths would cross. He said: “I joined the British army in 1992. I have actually taken part in four battlefield study trips to Arnhem and we worked out later I had been within 50 metres of where his body was buried which is quite astonishing. It was a great honour to attend his funeral.”

Private Henry Moon’s family were also in attendance. His niece Tina Snowden, 73, a retired teacher from Sunderland, said: “I was actually born in Henry’s house in Yorkshire. He was only 21 when he died. He was so young.

”It’s been wonderful that so many people have turned out for his funeral - we can’t thank them enough. We found out last year some remains had been found and they found his rifle and a DNA match was made.

“Henry had three brothers Robert, John and Arthur - my dad. They didn’t really talk about him much - I think it was a different generation thing.”

Their coffins were dressed in Union flags and carried by military bearer parties. The Last Post was played and a volley of shots were fired as both coffins were lowered into their graves.

Private Moon was with the 7th Battalion The Green Howards (The Yorkshire Regiment). Lt Anderson served with the Glider Pilot Regiment Army Air Corps. Moon, from Speeton near Filey, North Yorkshire was an apprentice joiner before the war. His remains were found during the widening of a motorway.

Anderson worked as an assistant to renowned architect Sir Edward Lutyens before being commissioned into the Gloucester regiment but he had always wanted to be a pilot. Lutyens had designed many of the WW1 memorials and cemeteries and now his assistant has been laid to rest in one of them.

He successfully landed his glider near Arnhem but was later killed by a German mortar bomb while in a trench. His remains were found in a field survey of a local churchyard As part of the special commemorations the CWGC is organising a torch event across the region this week.

The 200-mile "Path to Freedom" is an initiative which marks the liberation of the Netherlands and Western Europe 80 years after Operation Market Garden - one of the most infamous battles of WW2 where nearly 2,000 Allied soldiers lost their lives.

Director General Claire Horton said: “The Torch of Commemoration has proved to be a hugely successful way to educate younger people about what the Allies went through during their ordeal, and to ensure their legacy will never be forgotten. The CWGC’s Arnhem Oosterbeek Cemetery has been a focal point of commemoration for the Battle of Arnhem since the end of the Second World War, with the sacrifice of over 1,500 wounded and killed soldiers at the heart of our mission to protect their legacy and educate future generations.”

Among those also being remembered this week is Frank Bolton who was killed in action on 26th September 1944. After being hit by friendly fire Frank managed to steer his aircraft away from crashing into the town of Gennep thereby saving many lives. For many years Frank’s family believed that parachute failure led to his death.

But years later they discovered that eyewitnesses told of Frank climbing onto the wing and throwing his parachute as high as possible to attempt a successful bailout. Sadly, he was now too low for his parachute to safely deploy and he fell to earth, his burning aircraft crashing into the River Meuss.