Soldier Record

Uncle Sam was the youngest brother of my great grandmother. She was one of the oldest of 16 children, he was the baby. We knew he was killed in the First World War, but was never given any details. We only knew it has traumatised the family and shortened the life of his mother, my great-great-grandmother. It was on a trip with some friends to Bruges in 2000 that we all decided to visit the Menin Gate and that was when my curiosity started. I felt I needed to find him and set about looking.

I searched the records on the Commonwealth War Graves site and found some names, but had his name confirmed by my great aunt, who remembered him so well. She gave me his name, regiment and that his nephew (who was the same age) was also killed in the Great War. I found both uncles - one killed at the Somme, and my Sam killed a year later at Passchendale.

I went to Ypres and found both his name at Tyne Cott, but also the area where the Kings Royal Rifles were fighting. I adopted an unmarked grave as a special place for him.

He was 18 when he was so cruelly taken, a baby! From talking to Auntie Ada I found out how kind he was to all, how much he loved all his family, especially his nieces and how he made time for all. I think of how devasasted he must have been to have seen his nephew, Michael, killed at the Somme, and how he was looking forward to training to become a teacher.