On Thursday 10 March, the grave of Corporal (Cpl) Frederick Herbert Skinner of 11th Battalion, East Yorkshire Regiment, was rededicated in northern France. The rededication service took place at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s (CWGC) Nieppe-Bois (Rue-du-Bois) British Cemetery and was attended by his family having travelled from Bermuda.

The service was organised by the MOD’s Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre (JCCC), also known as the ‘MOD War Detectives’, and was supported by serving soldiers of The Yorkshire Regiment and The Royal Welsh.

Rosie Barron from MOD JCCC and who led on the case adjudication, said:    “It is always a privilege to organise rededication services for previously missing soldiers and to see how much it still means to their family that their relative has been found. Although now more than 100 years after their deaths, it is important that men like Cpl Skinner are remembered, and their sacrifices are not forgotten.”

Cpl Skinner’s great nephew, Kevin Knights, originally from Ipswich and travelled from his home in Bermuda to attend the rededication service, said:

“We would like to say a huge thank you to the CWGC, MOD War Detectives, and all of those who helped to identify Frederick’s final resting place. Also, to all those who arranged and participated in the rededication to make this such a special day.

“He had no known grave for over 100 years, so it was an incredible experience when we discovered that he had been found. It was an immense privilege to join with others to pay respect, give thanks for his sacrifice and witness the farewell he so richly deserved. His grave can now be visited by members of our family to ensure he is never forgotten.”

The final resting place of Cpl Skinner came to light after a researcher submitted evidence to CWGC suggesting that the man buried in the grave was likely to be him. After further research by CWGC, the National Army Museum and MOD JCCC, it was confirmed by MOD JCCC following completion of their adjudication process that this was indeed his final resting place.

The service was conducted by the Reverend Ben Norton CF, Chaplain to 4th Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment.

The Reverend Norton said:     “To be able to lead the rededication service for Corporal Frederick Herbert Skinner is a humbling honour.

“Corporal Skinner gave his life for love, hope and to see peace in the world. We today, as we lay him to rest and commend him to God continue his story by embracing these truths for ourselves and making sure that we continue his story in building a better world for the generations to come.”

Cpl Skinner was killed on 25 June 1918 aged 26 whilst in positions around Nieppe Bois, south east of Hazebrouck in France. He was buried in Nieppe Bois (Rue-du-Bois) British Cemetery, but the marker over his grave was damaged and the identity of the soldier in the grave could not be determined. As he was missing, Cpl Skinner was commemorated on the Ploegsteert Memorial.

The headstone over the grave has been replaced by the CWGC.     Liz Woodfield, CWGC Director of External Relations said:

“The Commission is honoured to be able to support the rededication of Corporal Frederick Herbert Skinner’s grave in Nieppe-Bois (Rue-Du-Bois) British Cemetery, now marked with a headstone bearing his name. His family chose to reflect the sacrifice of this young man for his nation with the patriotic music of ‘Land of Hope and Glory’. This ceremony is an opportunity for us to renew our commitment to care for his grave and those of his comrades, in perpetuity.” 

Raitis Dzerkalis, 32, from Coventry has been disqualified as a director for ten years.

He was sole director of RDZ Solution Ltd, which was incorporated in 2015 and was registered at an address in Coventry. RDZ provided a mobile vehicle breakdown service.

In June 2020, however, Raitis Dzerkalis applied for and secured £40,000 through the Bounce Back Loan scheme. The company’s accounts ending October 2019 showed turnover of just £12,240, but Dzerkalis fraudulently stated the turnover as £162,240. In reality, the most the company was eligible for under the scheme was £3,060.

The mechanic proceeded to spend nearly the full loan amount for his own personal benefit, and not for legitimate business requirements, breaching the terms of the Bounce Back Loan scheme.

Recovery of the funds is ongoing with £8,000 recovered to date.

The Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy accepted a disqualification undertaking from Raitis Dzerkalis after he admitted securing the Bounce Back Loan fraudulently. His ban runs from 28 February 2022 to 27 February 2032.

The disqualification undertaking prevents him from directly, or indirectly, becoming involved in the promotion, formation or management of a company, without the permission of the court.

Dave Elliott, Chief Investigator at The Insolvency Service said:

Covid Support Schemes were a lifeline to businesses across the UK protecting jobs and preserving businesses.

As this case shows The Insolvency Service will take swift firm action against directors who sought to abuse the scheme.

Notes to editors

Raitis Dzerkalis is of Coventry and his date of birth is May 1989.

RDZ Solutions (Company Reg no 09803876)

A disqualification order has the effect that without specific permission of a court, a person with a disqualification cannot:

• act as a director of a company

• take part, directly or indirectly, in the promotion, formation or management of a company or limited liability partnership

• be a receiver of a company’s property

Disqualification undertakings are the administrative equivalent of a disqualification order but do not involve court proceedings.

Persons subject to a disqualification order are bound by a range of other restrictions.

Information about the work of the Insolvency Service, and how to complain about financial misconduct.

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• CMA and European Commission launch parallel probes into Google and Meta’s “Jedi Blue” agreement.
• CMA Chief Executive says: “We will not shy away from scrutinising the behaviour of big tech firms while we await powers for the Digital Markets Unit.”

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is focusing on whether the companies restricted or prevented the uptake of header bidding services and whether Google also affected the ability of other firms to compete with its products in this area.

Header bidding is a service which allows sellers, such as news publishers, to offer their online advertising space to multiple buyers at the same time, rather than receiving offers one by one. As a result, buyers – or advertisers – compete against each other for ad space and publishers can compare bids from multiple buyers simultaneously. This competition between buyers can make auctions more competitive.

As part of its investigation, the CMA will consider whether an agreement between Google and Meta (previously Facebook) – which Google internally codenamed “Jedi Blue” – broke the law. The CMA is also scrutinising Google’s conduct in relation to header bidding services more widely to see if the firm abused a dominant position and gained an unfair advantage over competitors trying to provide a similar service.

The European Commission (EC) has launched its own probe into the agreement between Google and Meta and the agreement is also the subject of a complaint by the State of Texas (and other US States) currently in the US courts. The CMA will seek to work closely with the EC as the independent investigations develop.

Andrea Coscelli, CMA Chief Executive, said:

We’re concerned that Google may have teamed up with Meta to put obstacles in the way of competitors who provide important online display advertising services to publishers.

If one company has a stranglehold over a certain area, it can make it hard for start-ups and smaller businesses to break into the market – and may ultimately reduce customer choice.

We will not shy away from scrutinising the behaviour of big tech firms while we await powers for the Digital Markets Unit, working closely with global regulators to get the best outcomes possible.

As this is only the start of the CMA’s investigation, no decision has been made on whether Google or Meta have broken the law.

This case follows on from the CMA’s market study into online platforms and digital advertising, which considered Google’s position in relation to header bidding services and the wider “ad tech stack” – of which heading bidding services is a part. The CMA has also received complaints in relation to Google’s conduct in this area.

The government has recently proposed powers for the Digital Markets Unit which will sit within the CMA. This unit will ultimately be responsible for deciding which ‘big tech’ firms face legally enforceable codes of conduct to govern their behaviour.

In the meantime, the CMA is pressing ahead with its probes into Apple’s App Store, Meta’s use of data and Apple and Google’s mobile ecosystems over competition concerns. It recently accepted commitments from Google relating to its proposed removal of third-party cookies from the Chrome browser. The CMA has adopted a joined-up approach across all related cases to ensure the best outcomes for customers and other businesses.

Find out more about this investigation on the case page.

Notes to Editors

1. The competition legislation relevant to the CMA’s investigation is the Competition Act 1998. This case concerns both the Chapter I prohibition (which makes agreements illegal where they have the object or effect of restricting competition) and the Chapter II prohibition (which makes it illegal for a company that holds a dominant position from behaving to the detriment of competition): a) For Chapter I, the case includes both Google and Meta (previously Facebook), and the agreement between them; b) For Chapter II, the case concerns only Google’s behaviour, including the agreement it entered into with Meta.

2. The CMA may launch an investigation under the Competition Act 1998 if it has reasonable grounds to suspect that there has been an infringement of competition law. If the CMA decides that Google or Meta breached competition law, it can impose a fine up to 10% of the company’s worldwide turnover, as well as issue legally binding directions to bring the breach to an end.

3. “Google” refers to Google UK Limited, Google LLC and Alphabet Inc and “Meta” refers to Facebook UK Limited, Meta Platforms Ireland Limited and Meta Platforms, Inc.

4. Ad tech is used in the sale of online advertising. A series of tools have been developed and sold to help intermediate the sale of online advertising between sellers (publishers, like newspapers and news websites) and buyers (advertisers). Header bidding is a service within the ad tech stack which emerged from around 2015 and was widely adopted. Google has a strong position at each part of the ad tech stack. More information can be found in the CMA’s final report for its market study into online platforms and digital advertising.