To a missing soldier of the great war. I do not know you but I would have liked to have known you.  You were a brother in arms with my paternal grandfather on the western front. My paternal grandfather John Elson Carpenter served with the Somerset Light Infantry in the war and lost his life on 23/03/1918 at St. Quentin, Northern France - The German Spring Offensive (21/03/1918 - 07/08/1918). He is also one of the missing and is commemorated at the Pozieres Memorial, Somme, France.  He came from the Isle of Wight. You were awarded the 'Victoria Cross' for actions in battle. '"During a violent thunderstorm on the night of 22nd May, 1915, he left his trench near Cambrin, and crept out through the German wire entanglements till he reached the emplacement of a German machine gun which had been damaging our parapets and hindering our working parties.  After climbing on the top of the German parapet he threw a bomb in under the roof of the gun emplacement and- heard some groaning and the enemy running away. After about a quarter of an hour he heard some of them coming back again, and climbed up on the other side of the emplacement and threw another bomb among them left-handed. He then lay still while the Germans opened a heavy fire on the wire entanglement behind him, and it was only after about an hour that he was able to crawl back to his own trench. Before starting out he had requested a serjeant to open fire on the enemy's trenches as soon as he had thrown his bombs. Rifleman Mariner was out alone for one and a half hours carrying out this gallant work."  You nobly gave your life so that future generations could live theirs. I can only imagine what life was like in the trenches for you. Horrific probably doesn't come close. We owe you a great debt of gratitude which we will never be able to repay. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE AND SACRIFICE! "At the going down of the sun and in the morning we will remember them."

Barry Carpenter