Soldier Record

You lied about your age to join up and volunteered almost immediately war was declared.

For The Duration

You enlisted at Thornaby and joined the Rifle Brigade, as one of Kitchener's Army.

You were listed as missing in action after an aborted action on 10th July 1916.

The attack was cancelled and you went over the top without artillery cover or flank support.

The 13th Battalion Rifle Brigade captured over 200 prisoners and advanced into the 3rd line German trenches, but many of the soldiers were killed by fire from their own troops as you all tried to get back to your home tenches.

The official information gave your age at time of death as 23, but you were just 20 and it was three months before your death was confirmed.

Your body was never found and you are commemorated on Thiepval Memorial.

It has been an emotional journey to find out as much as I could about you and I stood on the very trench you charged from, keen to 'do your bit'.

I trailed through the newspapers in Stockton library and walked a snow covered Somme in search of the truth.

You hopped the bags and that was the last anyone ever saw of you.

You were on of the 'Stockton Boys' that made the battalion almost unbeatable at football.

You seemed such a decent chap and never missed the chance to send home a card or souvenir to your beloved sister Margaret, my grandmother.

It broke my great grandmother's heart when you never came back and she never fully recovered.

You deserve to be remembered forever and i feel humbled to know just that little bit about you.

God Bless Great Uncle Will.