Questions are being asked over how a Falmouth war hero’s memorial stone could have been mistakenly removed from the cemetery after stonemasons got “the wrong Johnson.”

A granite plaque marking the final resting place of Second World War hero Johnny Johnson, who served with 5 Commandos in the daring St Nazaire raid, is back in situ this week after going missing a month ago.

At the time it was believed thieves had stolen the memorial, after all other lines of enquiry drew a blank.

However, it has now emerged that a “combination of errors” led to the stone wrongly being removed in a case of mistaken identity. 

Another family, also called Johnson, had commissioned repairs to be made to their family memorial stone, but the monumental masons, acting on the request of a funeral director, had removed the wrong plaque. 

Chris Johnson, one of Mr Johnson’s five children, told the Packet on Monday: “My family is quite distressed about what happened. It seems to me there’s been a catalogue of maladministration. 

“We followed, as a family, every single suggestion and protocol given to us by the council. 

“They asked us to hold off filing a police report and getting a crime number until they had checked their records diligently to make sure the obvious hadn’t happened – i.e. someone took it by mistake. 

“They confirmed they had a proper in investigation. We were left with the only assumption that it was a theft.

“We wouldn’t make accusations without being left with the only option – that it was stolen.” 

The family only became aware of what had happened last Friday, when they received a phone call from the council. 

“My own personal thought is that somebody should have known this. The person who took it never came forward and said sorry. 

“We’re thinking some horrible person has taken this, when in fact it was a combination of errors,” added Chris. 

He said the family was happy the stone was back, and that the incident had highlighted the support of the community – not least from Wendron stonemason Douglas Wearne, who offered to make and fit a new plaque free of charge. 

“It has demonstrated a groundswell of really well intentioned and kind people, and I think really, out of it, flying the flag of generosity, is Mr Wearne, who stepped up and said he would help us,” he said. 

Town clerk Mark Williams confirmed that a funeral director had instructed a monumental mason to remove it, but they had “got the wrong one.”

He said: “A funeral director has instructed a monumental mason to do some work for a family called Johnson. Not being local to the area, they have come in and taken the wrong headstone, before submitting the permit first – which is why we didn’t know about it.

“The frustrating thing is we rang all the monumental masons and said, ‘Have you taken the headstone?’.”

Mr Williams said it would not be appropriate to identify the two other parties, but added: “They’re upset about the upset they have caused to the family. 

“What we’ve suggested is the family and the funeral director get together and look at what’s appropriate to put this right. One of the things I’ll be doing is writing to the monumental masons saying we’ve got a procedure, make sure you follow it to avoid this happening.”

And he acknowledged that there was “a frustration” it couldn’t have been dealt with earlier.