ON a field of battle far from the Normandy beaches, the body of a Gwent soldier was finally laid to rest 60 years after he fell in bitter fighting.

While the world remembers the D-Day invasion, the biggest amphibious assault in the history of warfare, more modest but no less moving ceremonials accompanied the re-interment of Com-pany Sergeant Major Evan Tom Davies, of the 3rd Battalion, the Mon-mouthshire Regiment, from Abersychan, who died in the Allied campaign in north-west Europe.

Pall-bearers drawn from the ranks of the 1st Battalion, the Royal Regiment of Wales, lowered the soldier's remains into a grave at the Benray military cemetery near Eindhoven in Holland yesterday.

A military band played as surviving family and friends paid their last respects.

Major Martin Everett, curator of the South Wales Borderers and Monmouth-shire Regiment Museum at Brecon, said Sergeant-Major Davies' body was recovered in April while the foundations of a building were being dug out.

"Some walkers reported seeing some identity tags, and a special Dutch Army unit was sent to recover the body, which had never been found after the battle for Broekhuizen in November, 1944.

"There had been extremely hard fighting against Germans who had dug into cellars in the village of Helmond on September 21, 1944, in which Sergeant-Major Davies played a part.

"Later, in the fighting around Broekhuizen, heavy casualties were inflicted upon the Mons, following which Sergeant-Major Davies' body was never recovered. This happened frequently in the trenches of the First World War, but was an uncommon occurrence during the Second World War.

"A postscript to Sergeant-Major Davies' story is that in the fighting for Helmond a Nazi flag was captured and the soldiers who took part in the action signed it. That signed flag bearing Sergeant-Major Davies' signature is now in our museum."

A fomer bricklayer, Ser-geant-Major Davies joined the army at the outbreak of hostilities. He was 27 years old when he died.

His widow, Grace, lives at Llanyravon Court care home in Cwmbran. The 86-year-old was too frail to attend, but other members of the family were there.

Nephew Mr Gethin Jones, 65, of Snatchwood, said soon after his uncle's remains were found "Evan was a legend in our family. It means everything to us that he will now be properly buried."

Speaking for an emotional Grace, he said: "Evan and Grace were very much in love. She is proud and pleased that he will have his own headstone and the recognition he deserves."