A WORDSLEY historian was killed in a car accident in Cyprus, an inquest was told.

Graham Hodgson, who successfully campaigned to get shamed WWI soldier, Joseph Bateman, commemorated on Wordsley's war memorial, died on Wednesday November 27, aged 58.

The father-of-three, of Greenbank Gardens, taught in Dudley borough primary schools for 33 years and had worked at Netherbrook Primary School, Dudley, from 1989 until his retirement in 2010.

Mr Hodgson had been in Cyprus with his wife Paula, for three months prior to his death, volunteering in partnership with a local church and university to support and encourage international students.

The inquest, at Smethwick Coroners Court on Tuesday (October 21) heard that Mr Hodgson was on his way back from picking up members of a neighbour's family from the airport when his car was hit from behind.

The collision caused Mr Hodgson to lose control of the car, which then crashed into a barrier at the side of the road.

Zafar Siddique, senior coroner for the Black Country, said a post mortem had showed that Mr Hodgson had died from a traumatic aortic rupture.

He concluded: "He died due to injuries sustained in a road traffic collision."