A forgotten war casualty from the First World War is being celebrated in a unique tribute at a local church.

The St Columba’s Heritage Centre in Largs is hosting a special tribute to a Largs man who died in the conflict of the Great War - George Cuthbertson - who died in Gallipoli in 1915.

Included in the materials - which were provided by George’s family - is a poignant poem written from the front line in Gallipoli - where he references his love of Largs and the futility of war.

Linda Young, who helps run the Heritage centre in St Columba’s Parish Church, said: “The poem is handwritten in pencil on an army bible which was presented to all the soldiers - it is so sad that he has written this in his bible. He talks about how his bones are rotting and it is actually quite heartbreaking. We also have his cigarette box - a brass box given to all soldiers. There is also a lot of his memorabilia including papers and information.

“There is also a photo of this young boy who is looking at the photo of his grave - it was sent on to his parents. It is very sad - it came from the tragic incident in Gallipoli which went badly wrong. It was reported at the time that George was tragically hit by a bullet, and he said ‘I have been shot’ before he expired. I would imagine that it would have been quite a brutal death, rather than what was reported. There was quite a clampdown in how these things were reported - it was written instead in quite a poetic way to tell the people of the town how he died. There was also a love heart which had his initials on it these items were brought back and given to his family.” Incredibly, all G eorge’s possessions were on the verge of being thrown out, and his legacy would have been lost forever.

Linda explained: “It was a relative, a great niece, who had died, who had these possessions, and we understand they were going to just get thrown away. We managed to purchase them - with the money being donated to the British Heart Foundation - and now George’s remarkable but heartbreaking tale can be seen by everybody at the St Columba’s Heritage Centre.” “One of the things which is significant about George’s poem, is that the words are still as relevant today, as they were 100 years ago.”