AN old soldier whose father is buried in an Italian war grave after falling in the Battle of Anzio in 1944 says he is behind the fight against cuts in pay for gardeners who tend war graves overseas.

Ex-servicemen and members of clubs catering for those who fought in Briton's two world wars say they are 'outraged' over the gardeners' cut in allowances -- money on top of their basic pay.

Retired soldier, Major Tony Maher, who served with the Queen's Lancashire Regiment, has made several trips to Anzio War Cemetery in Southern Italy where his father is buried after being killed in action in 1944.

Like thousands of men the soldier lost his life on the bloody battlefields of the Second World War and was buried in the war grave alongside comrades and the fallen of the Great War.

Major Maher said: "They shouldn't cut their money at all. They all do an excellent job and maintain the graves in a splendid fashion."

The 67 British gardeners live abroad to look after 500,000 graves across Europe -- including Normandy and Flanders -- with thousands of relatives and friends of the dead making a pilgrimage to the graves every year. According to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission each gardener is paid between £18,000 and £20,000. They also receive an accommodation allowance of up to £6,000 and a boarding school allowance of up to £16,000 per child.

But their allowances are to be cut by a third over the next five years.

Group leaders of Preston and District Ex-Servicemen Council have slammed the allowance reduction as 'diabolical'.

Secretary of the group, Ted Hearsey, said: "These men gave their lives for this country and we should never forget that. The gardeners tend the graves out of a labour of love and they do a great job.

"The graves are visited by hundreds of people every year and not just the old veterans. The plots are immaculate at all times."

A spokesman for the Commission said: "We are confident of our ability to maintain war graves and memorials to the highest possible standard, ensuring that they remain a fitting tribute to all those who gave their lives in the two world wars.

"The Commission is also confident that the new allowance system will not impact on these standards and will allow staff to maintain a decent standard of living."