My Great Uncle Mansell was born in 1891 in Horsington, Somerset, one of 6 boys and one girl. He was my grandfather's eldest brother (there was 21 years between them). He worked on the railway before the war and was killed in Burma in 1916 from dysentery. He was someone my family talked about on occasion, he was very much missed by all his brothers and I can remember a family member had a picture of him in a locket that they wore frequently. I wonder sometimes what kind of life he would have had- all his brothers that were old enough to fight in the Great War survived and went on to have families. He would have likely done the same. I named my oldest son John Mansell in his honour and my son feels a closeness to his great great Uncle as a result.

Louise Rowden-Kolbeinsen