DETAILS of a Kidderminster war hero's final moments emerged after his nephew made a poignant trip to visit his Somme grave – 100 years to the day he died.

Chris Burge, 66, of Villiers Street, travelled to Becourt Military Cemetery in Albert, France, to visit the grave of his uncle Ernest Lionel Carter, who died on August 1, 1916.

Private Carter, known as Lionel, served in the 11th Royal Warwickshire regiment during the Battle of the Somme when he was killed by shrapnel from an overhead bomb.

Mr Burge, who travelled with his partner Anne, 58, only discovered the details of his uncle’s final moments during the visit, having previously been told he died from a bullet wound.

He said: "My Grandmother had seven children, the eldest born in 1897 was Ernest.

"A notebook he carried in his breast pocket during the war was handed down to me.

"There is a hole through the book which we always thought was caused by the bullet that killed him.

"As this year is a centenary anniversary, my partner Anne and I decided to make the first family visit to his graveside, arriving there 100 years to the day he died.

"The cemetery was stunning, with more than 700 white gravestones surrounded by a rubble wall and neat lawns dotted with flowers in the middle of a wooded area.

"We found Lionel’s grave at the end of a block of eight, spaced just inches apart.

"The stones being close indicated the eight young men had died together in one incident.

"They had indeed all died on August 1 and therefore the hole in Lionel’s notebook was made by shrapnel rather than a bullet.

"I placed the notebook on top of his gravestone, a red poppy and a cross at the base, and we paid our respects. It was very moving.

"He had died and was buried with his friends. We must never forget their sacrifice.

"When I looked once more at the block of eight graves, focussing on Lionel’s’, I wished I had known him.

"I tried to imagine him in his uniform - my Uncle, a brave Kidderminster boy. R. I. P. Ernest Lionel Carter."