Soldier Record

Grandad fell and was buried near the lock in Frise, France during the aftermarth or Second Battle of The Somme between 21 March and 9 April 1918. Five months later, back in Shoreditch, my Dad was born. Grandma named her baby after Grandad, whom she loved for the rest of her days, so my Dad became Joseph Henry Rampling born 26 August 1918. He grew up to look just like Grandad which gave her both joy and sorrow. They had married in August of 1915. I don't know how much she saw of him before she was widowed but she had only been married two and a half years when he was killed.

Killed in action before my father was born

Grandad has no known grave, there by the Somme river, but his name appears with his many comrades on Panels 81-84 in Pozieres Memorial near Albert, France. I managed to take Dad there some years ago for a very emotional visit. My thanks go to War Graves Commission for making it somehow now a beautiful place. Dad died in 2006 and I have since researched my ancestry and have found and met some distant Rampling family Dad never knew about. It is such a shame that, after thinking that Grandma's family were the only relatives he had, I have now found more and he is no longer here to share them with me.

It is with sadness that he cannot share this privilege of posting this addition to your Wall of Remembrance too. He would have been so proud.