Whilst I don't think he fought at Mametz Wood, my Great Grandfather Stephen Jones fought in WWI at Gallipoli and was taken prisoner at some point. We know that he fought with the South Wales Borderers, who did feature at the Battle of Mametz Wood.

Unfortunately, we don't have his records, as it is believed they were destroyed during the Blitz when an enormous amount of WWI records were lost. I would love to know more about him, as sadly he died when my grandmother was very young and she doesn't remember much about his service history.

All we have is a letter that was sent from the King thanking him for his service and his medals. Things we are very grateful for. Both the Imperial War Museum in London and Brecon War Museum have been very helpful in finding out information about our family, and I'm hoping to go and read the regiment’s diary soon in Brecon just to get a better understanding of where they went and what he went through.

Since hearing about Mametz and starting work on the project, I have been both nervous and excited about the production. Excited because the entire thing sounds incredible and the writing by Owen Sheers is just beautiful, but nervous because I feel as though I am going to find out exactly what my Grandfather experienced as a young man in the trenches.

However it is important to know, important to remember, and important to acknowledge the great sacrifices made by so many during the Great War.

I'm proud to say Stephen Jones fought for his country and even prouder to say he was my Great Grandfather.

Rhian Lewis