THE family of a Verwood soldier who died during World War Two have been left reeling after learning his name has been spelled incorrectly on a church plaque.

Roy Herridge, who died aged just 20 in 1945, served in the 2nd Battalion of the Grenadier Guards.

He joined the Home Guard in Verwood in 1941, and is buried in the Reinberg Military Cemetery in Germany.

But his name was spelled ‘Harridge’ on a plaque at St Michael and All Angels Church in the town some years ago, which his family only recently discovered after looking at the Verwood History Society webpage, where it is also spelled incorrectly.

Mr Herridge’s brother’s son-in-law, John Lucy, who lives in Ferndown, said: “About a week after my father-in-law’s funeral I was looking at the history society’s website.

“I was just looking to see what I could dig up about him but to my horror I saw the website had his name wrong.”

Mr Lucy, who works as a postman for the Royal Mail, discovered that the website had taken the spelling from the church plaque, but officials have told him it is too expensive to have it corrected.

Mr Herridge’s younger brother Melvyn, who is Mr Lucy’s wife’s father, died in September last year, but he still has a surviving sister called Audrey living locally.

Mr Lucy said: “We’re talking about a 20-year-old lad who sacrificed his life.

“There’s been talk lately about children aged nine to 14 who don’t know anything about the wars, and it’s made me think 20 or 30 years into the future when a party of schoolchildren might see the names of these brave lads who died, but Harridge won’t mean anything. It doesn’t connect to anything.”

Verwood Town Council is soon to unveil a new war memorial, and Mr Herridge’s name will be spelled correctly there.

Mr Lucy said: “I do think it’s disrespectful.

“Someone who has made the decision not to have the name changed to its correct spelling will be standing there on Remembrance Sunday and wearing a poppy. It doesn’t seem right.”

The Rev Andrew Sinclair from the church said: “I am aware of this.

“The official war memorial for the town is the one standing in the churchyard, which was raised after the First World War by public subscription, and the names of those who died were added later.

“It is not the responsibility of the church to pay for any amendments of this nature – we are not financially liable.”