But you would never know the fascinating story held within.

The plaque simply reads In Loving Memory of my dear husband and father "Will" E.W. Dahlstrom - Died 20th Oct. 1977. Aged 83.

There is no mention of the fact he was awarded the Military Medal for conspicuous service in 1918 during World War I or even the fact he was part of the 13th Battalion VDF (Volunteer Defence Forces) Corps during World War II.

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There is a fascinating story to this former Finnish sailor, a WWI hero who eventually settled in the Shoalhaven and married at Bomaderry.

Well-known local historian Robyn Florance came across his story while researching WW1 servicemen buried or memorialised in the Nowra General Cemetery.

"I went to Lone Pine at Gallipoli and saw all the names on the plaques but there was nothing to tell me who they were, or where they were from," she said.

"It sparked something in me and I wanted to learn more, especially about our local veterans."

Emil Wilhelm Dahlstrom was born at Finnbly, Ekenas, Finland on July 19, 1894 a son of Gustav and Erica Dahlstrom.

He was of Russian nationality, arriving in Sydney, Australia from Buenos Aires, Argentina on December 11, 1914.

Dahlstrom, whose occupation was listed as a sailor, enlisted (1668) at Brisbane on May 21, 1915 aged 20, and joined the 26th Battalion.

He embarked from Brisbane for overseas duty on board H.M.A.T. Shropshire on August 20, 1915 and was taken on strength on Anzac Cove on October 12, 1915.

He was evacuated on January 9, 1916 and proceeded to France in March 1916 and transferred to the 7th Australian Machine Gun Company, 2nd Machine Gun Battalion on November 19, 1916.

He was awarded the Military Medal on September 7, 1918 for conspicuous service.

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During the advance of the 7th A.I. Brigade on September 2, acting as a section runner to retain communications between the advancing troops and Infantry Brigade Headquarters in the rear, he frequently had to pass through very heavy artillery and machine gunfire.

Some wounded men were left stranded in front of the line owing to a temporary withdrawal east of Mont St. Quentin.

On learning this and not being able to obtain stretcher-bearers Private Dahlstrom went forward into no man's land and carried in a wounded man; an action he repeated no less than six times, bringing seven wounded men to cover under heavy machine gun and rifle fire.

He became a hero in the battle for the town of Peronne during the second Battle of the Somme and was mentioned in dispatches on three occasions.

He was wounded in action on October 4, 1917 and admitted to Norfolk War Hospital with a gunshot wound to the right elbow.

He served through Gallipoli (1915) and most of the Western Front battles (1916-19), although, according to the Russian Anzac website, he was not always an exemplary soldier, running up a number of offences along the way - being absent without leave several times and disobeying orders.

He returned to Australia on July 19, 1919.

By 1922 his occupation was listed as a carpenter.

He married Winfred Ada Jones, aged 24, at the All Saint's Nowra in 1929.

They lived at Bomaderry near the railway station and had a daughter, Rhonda Elsa.

He was naturalised in 1936 and that same year and in 1945 he was listed as being a PMG linesman.

Like many The Great War veterans he re-enlisted for World War II as a member of the 13th Battalion VDF Corps.

The VDF was an Australian part-time volunteer military force modelled on the British Home Guard.

Membership was open to men aged between 18 and 60, including those working in reserved occupations.

Dahlstrom enlisted (N339869) in Nowra on June 19, 1942 and was discharged on September 15, 1945.

The VDC reached a peak strength of almost 100,000 in units across Australia

His record says he served within Australia.

There are local accounts of The Dalstrom Orchestra playing dance music at various dances in the Shoalhaven, with Winifred heavily involved.

"Will" passed away October 30, 1977 aged 83, while Winifred passed away in 1985, aged 80.