They had been in the line for weeks, he said, and the whole division was exhausted and demoralised. The casualties had been enormous. Stephen was part of the Machine Gun Corps; they were known as the ‘Suicide Club’ because of their position ahead of the front line and their high death toll. They were chosen from all regiments across the British Army for their mechanical ability and their initiative. They were trained intensively in the use of the Vickers gun. They committed the manual to memory, until each machine gun part was familiar as a limb and any one of them could spring into action in three to four seconds flat. Everything was done on the double: if you didn’t move quickly, you would be killed. Although what was most amazing was the strong friendships that developed. No-one argued, they got on with the job and watched each other’s backs.

Nine men from the same part of Essex had enlisted with Stephen, but soon, only he and the Taylor twins were left. The others had been killed or badly wounded. Will and Edward Taylor had grown up half a mile from Stephen’s family. They were wonderful men, broad-shouldered and vigorous, with fair hair and identical good-natured smiles, always going that extra mile for their fellow soldiers.

Stephen was sick of seeing good men killed and maimed every day. He had been promoted to officer, so was responsible for the safety of his men. The slightest misjudgement meant the difference between life and death. Some of them were hardly more than boys; they should have been living their lives and instead, he was sending them out to face bullets and high explosives.

He was determined to do his duty, even though he was as afraid as the rest of them. He had always been able to maintain a calm, cheerful exterior and he liked to believe it gave strength to his comrades, although he noticed a change in himself. His nerves were frayed, he had lost the will to fight and he had lost faith in the top powers. Their actions led to the pointless, bloody sacrifice of young men. It had become more than clear that in this war, they were all just cannon fodder.