Today we remember the sacrifice of our former goalkeeper Thomas Pearson, awarded the Military Medal for his bravery on the battlefield. He was killed in action on 28th April 1943.
Two hours west of Tunis, off the GP6 road, an inconspicuous sign directs you up a rutted steep track, more like a dried river bed which leads to miles of half cultivated fields. Across this arid semi desert, down by the banks of the lake lies the final resting place of 241 Commonwealth soldiers. It seems quite literally like a place that time has forgotten and yet, behind the tall cedar trees that line the small plot, lies a place of peace, sadness and pride in equal measure. For here is the Oued Zarga Cemetery.
The place is remote and eerily silent, but through the diligence of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and some unseen local caretakers hand, this place is pristine. This place is cared for.
On a recent business trip, former Chairman Stephen Henderson, representing Glentoran 1882, fulfilled a private promise he had made in front of the Thomas Pearson War Memorial at the Oval some ten years before. He travelled to Oued Zarga to find L/Sgt Pearson’s grave and to pay respects on behalf of 1882. It’s sad and humbling to think, that given that Thomas Pearson had no direct or extended family that could be traced, Stephen may well have been the first visitor since the day Glentoran’s war hero was laid to rest to visit the grave specifically.
A poppy wreath on behalf of an eternally grateful supporter base was laid.
Those who forget the hero’s of the past, who sacrificed their todays for our tomorrows, should reflect on the fact, that we only move forward on the backs of their deeds.
