The first of my family to ever visit the monument, i was somewhat nervous, and the eery lack of birds and wildlfe only served to heighten this. A man in the visitor centre helped me to track down exactly where the name of my uncle would be and gave me some more information as to exactly where he died - Hook Trenches.

After a long walk up to the monument, i quickly found his name. It was a profound moment, and i felt honoured to be the first of my family to have seen his name. It was a shock to me however, to learn that no body had ever been recovered of Thomas Ayre, for this is what the monument commemorates. We had always believed Tommy to have been buried, as we have his 'dog-tags', identity bracelets which surely we would not have had if there had not been a body.

Upon leaving the centre, I felt compelled to leave a message in the visitor book.
Visiting Thiepval had a profound effect on me and helped me to realise the all too human face of war.

Lyndsey Skinner FE5

Useful Link:
Commonwealth War Graves Commission