This morning listening to 5live driving to work I ended up misty eyed...
Nicky Campbell recited a letter from his grandfather describing how he he had given a fag to a bloke under guard. He described the next morning he had seen this bloke being escorted by a few soldiers, some of whom were carrying an empty stretcher, walking towards a wooded area. His grandfather heard some shots and the soldiers returned carrying the bloke he'd given a fag to on it. His grandfathers letter said that he'd hoped that his fag had comforted him in his last hours.
Campbell said that he'd tried to chase this letter up but got nowhere, but the BBC with it's resources in this centenary year had brought in the real experts.
Turns out that this bloke was a Lancashire Fusilier. This was the final letter of that 'deserter'...obviously shell shocked (or as it is now known PTSD)..made an example of by the donkeys, politicians and inbred royalty....saying sorry to his mum and dad.
BBC Radio 5 live - In Short, Emotional story behind grandfather's WW1 diary revealed to Nicky Campbell