A MEMORIAL plaque to Titanic survivor Jacob Gibbons today lies in the churchyard at Studland.

But a nearby gravestone by the side of what is one of the dozen or so most complete Norman churches in Britain also tells a fascinating story.

The grave is that of a Waterloo soldier who spent years fighting, mainly, the French before losing his heart to a Frenchwoman whom he brought back to the Purbeck village.

He was Sgt William Lawrence of the 40th Regiment of Foot, who, for about 10 years served as a British soldier.

In 1805 he was in South America fighting the Spanish – then allies of the French – but then fought in the Peninsular War (1808-13) against France after Napoleon invaded Portugal.

Sgt Lawrence fought in nearly all Wellington’s key battles and was a volunteer in the unsuccessful attempt by the British to storm Badajoz.

Severely wounded, he recovered and then fought in the key battle of Vittoria in 1813.

His gravestone states that he received the Silver Medal with “no less than 10 clasps”.

The sergeant was then with the Duke of Wellington in his advance into France, fighting at the Battle of Waterloo.

It was while marching towards Paris after Waterloo that he fell in love with Clotilde Clairet of St Germain-en-Laye, 12 miles from the centre of Paris.

The couple married and William brought his wife back to Studland where they kept a small inn.

Clotilde Lawrence died 38 years later – on 26 September 1853 – and shares a grave and gravestone with her husband who lived for a further 16 years, dying on November 11 1869.

His wish for a military funeral was respected, with volunteers firing a farewell volley over his grave.