VETERANS from the Royal Navy paid their respects at the grave of a marine buried in West Overton who fought in the Battle of Trafalgar.

John Chivers served on HMS Victory alongside Admiral Horatio Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.

He returned from the battle, which killed 57 crew members and injured 102, on the same ship as Lord Nelson’s body.

He became a farmer and lived with his wife in Lockeridge with his seven children. He died in 1850 and was buried in West Overton churchyard. Every year the Royal Navy remembers Mr Chivers by visiting the honorary commemorative plaque put up in his memory.

Chairman of the Marlborough Royal Naval Association, David Hicks, was joined by other veterans as well as special guest United States Navy Chief, Tim Hughes. Mr Hicks served in the Navy from 1953-62 and said: “It is an important thing to do each year. He was a man who no one knew about but now through research we can tell where he fought and what he did when he returned.”