A SPECIAL ceremony has taken place at the grave of Bolton Wanderers' wartime captain Harry Goslin in Italy.

Harry's son Bill and grandson Matt stood together by the grave at the River Sangro Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery for the service led by club chaplain Phil Mason.

Harry played for the 1939 Wanderers team and was famous for encouraging members of the crowd to join the military just before war broke out.

As he addressed the crowd, he said “We are facing a national emergency, but this danger can be met if everybody keeps a cool head and knows what to do. This is something you cannot leave to the other fellow, everyone has a share to do”.

The whole team joined defender Harry in signing up and they fought in action in France and North Africa as well as Italy and Harry rose to become a full Lieutenant showing the same kind of leadership on and off the field.

Mr Mason had gone out to Italy with a contingent of 28 members of the 103 Regiment Royal Artillery as part of a battlefield study to re-trace the steps of the 53rd Bolton Royal Artillery during their battle actions in 1943.

The 53rd Bolton was absorbed into the 103rd and were given the Queen’s baton to take with them on tour — on their 300th anniversary.

As part of the trip, the group were taken to the site where Harry was seriously injured by a bomb on December 1943. He later died from his injuries.

Mr Mason said: “The whole trip was very emotional but particularly the ceremony by the graveside of Harry Goslin. It was very moving to see Bill and Matt see their father and grandfather’s grave for the very first time. It was like a re-uniting of three generations and brought the whole story of the Wartime Wanderers to life”.

Mr Mason spoke of the ultimate sacrifice that so many had made and Captain Craig Roxby then lead the ode to remembrance.

Bill, who lost his father when he was just eight years old, then laid a wreath at the graveside.