The Grave of Robert Gunn Nicoll
The Canadian War Cemetery at Agira is the final resting place of 490 Canadian soldiers, sailors and airmen who lost their lives in the Sicily campaign.

Their graves are laid out in four square areas separated by grass lanes. At the center of all is the "Great Cross". As one enters the cemetery the square on the right is Plot A, that on the left is Plot B. Plot D is behind Plot A and Plot C behind plot B. The Great Cross, itself is on the crest of the ridge so that the squares in which the graves are located slope gently downward to the west for Plots A and B and to the east for Plots C and D.

Within each plot the rows of graves are lettered from A through H sloping down the hill from the Great Cross. The grave sites are numbered 1 through 504, starting in the center at the row closest to the Great Cross in Plot A.

The Commonwealth Graves Commission provides information on any grave in the cemetery (and for all Commonwealth Cemeteries around the world). For Robbie Nicholl they provided, in addition to the information indicated here the following extract from the "Original register text":

"NICOLL, Gnr. ROBERT GUNN, M/4154, 3 Field Regt., Royal Canadian Artillery. 25th July, 1943. Age 13. Son of William and Annie Nicoll; husband of Nellie May Nicoll, of Hayes, Kent, England. A, C, 44"

Robbie's grave is located in Plot A, row C grave 44. It is the third grave from the end of the row. When you stand in row C looking at the grave, that is looking to the south southeast, the view in the background is of the hills south of Regalbuto and Agiara.  When we visited, Robbie's headstone had a red geranium on the right and an orange gazania in front of it.

The headstone is the standard headstone for World War II Commonwealth graves. The inscription on it reads:

M.4154 GUNNER
R.G. NICOLL
ROYAL CANADIAN ARTILLERY
25TH JULY 1943    AGE 23

At the bottom of the headstone, below the cross, is the inscription:

TO LIVE IN HEARTS
WE LEAVE BEHIND
IS NOT TO DIE

 





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