A Dutch family is reaching out in the hope of contacting the relatives of a British servicemen killed in the Netherlands during the Second World War.

Very little is known about Roland Archibald Peen other than that he was the son of Archibald and May Peen and was from Chart Sutton, near Maidstone.

He was killed on October 14, 1944 during the Battle of Overloon, while serving with the 2nd Battalion Royal Warwickshire Regiment as they pushed their way across Europe following the D-Day landings in June and Operation Market Garden the month before.

His exact date of birth is not known, but his age at death was recorded on his tombstone as 19.

He is buried in the Overloon War Cemetery in Holland, along with 280 of his comrades in arms.

Rianne Halfwerk-Ooms, 40, her husband Mario, 37, and their two children Amber, eight, and Daan, three, live nearby in the small village, of 't Harde.

They are one of many Dutch families who have "adopted" the grave of a British serviceman, in gratitude for British assistance in liberating their country from the Germans in the Second World War.

Mrs Halfwerk-Ooms said: "We are very interested in everything that happened during the Second World War and we regularly reflect on those who fought for our freedom and lost their lives in the process.

"We often visit commemorations and events and go on holiday to France every year to visit monuments and pay our respects.

"Here in the Netherlands we have war graves in English and American cemeteries and these are all maintained by foundations.

"But many of these graves have no known family or the family live too far away and cannot make the journey.

"So these graves can then be adopted by a Dutch family and there is a lot of interest in that.

She said: "We have adopted the grave of Private Peen, service number 14679790.

"But we would like to honour him properly and perhaps put a face to the name.

"We'd like to tell any surviving relatives that he has not been forgotten and that his grave is being looked after.

"We always lay flowers on the anniversary of his death and light a candle, and we would like to do so on his birthday too, but have been able to discover no more than it was probably a date in July.

"Our son doesn't understand much about it yet, but he is always quiet and calm when we are at the cemetery.

Mrs Halfwerk-Ooms said: "He also notices that we are serious then. Our daughter is older and understands that 'our Roland' was killed in the war, because he had to fight for us. She also think it's nice to go along and put the flower down."

She added: "We would love to hear from any descendants of Roland who might be able to send us a photograph of him and perhaps tell us more about his short life."

KentOnline has been researching Roland's family tree in an effort to track down his relatives.

Roland Archibald Peen was born in Maidstone in July 1925 and was the eldest son of Archibald and May Peen nee Tutt, of Chart Sutton near Maidstone.

Roland never married and the only record of his existence is his death listed among casualty records and birth registration, according to census and official record searches.

'Jane Peen would be his niece'

The 1939 Register conducted at the start of the Second World War does not include Roland alongside his mother and father at their address in Chart Hill Road.

But it does mention a Norman William Peen living at the address. Norman was born in February 1927 and died in Holsworthy, Devon in 1993.

Norman married a Frances Ash in Thanet in 1955 and according to records they had a daughter named Jane Peen, who was born in Oxfordshire in 1962, who would be Private Peen's niece.

It is understood Jane ran Langdon Farm in Clawton, Devon, with records showing her taking cattle to market in Holsworthy in 2017, but it is here that the trail goes cold.

Do you know Private Roland Peen's family or know Jane Peen? Contact the newsdesk at messengernews@thekmgroup.co.uk