Handwritten notes, scribed in pencil, are among the possessions left by George William Marsh who served in the First Battalion of the Dorset Regiment as a private.

George was born in Jersey in 1891 and returned to Poole with his mother at the age of two.

The Marshes had lived in Poole since 1843, having come from Beaminster.

George worked for the Bournemouth Gas and Water Company starting at Bourne Valley Works in 1901, earning 3 ½d an hour.

His trade was a sulphate of ammonia maker and a tar man.

He was in the Army Reserve from December 1915 and was called up for active service in January 1918.

He arrived in Boulogne, France on 29 Sep 1918 and marched through northern France and Belgium.

His granddaughter, Jan Marsh told the Echo: “I still have his handwritten pencil notes and in them he says that it was raining hard on their arrival at 5pm and there is a list of the places they stayed with sleeping arrangements, such as “stay in big house, sleep on floor,”, “sleep in stable” and “sleep in filthy bed.”

In a newspaper report on the occasion of his Golden Wedding it states that: “George was the man who hoisted the Union Flag for the Dorsets in Germany,” although his granddaughter has not been able to confirm this.

He arrived in Bonn on 31 January 1919 and was part of the Army of Occupation.

During his time in Germany he visited Cologne Cathedral and apparently his name is scratched on the wall of the bell tower there.

George was demobbed in October 1919 from the 15th Battalion of the Hampshire Regiment and transferred back to the Army Reserve.

He was a keen tug-of-war player, winning medals both in the Army and the Gas Board team.

“His friends Reg Haskins and Mr Tollerfield are noted in some of the photos I have but I don’t have any further information about them,” explained Jan Marsh.

During the Second World War, George continued to work for the Gas Board.

George returned to the Bournemouth Gas and Water Company to work at the Pitwines site in Poole.

His wages were now 5½d an hour.

In 1913 George had married Emma Brown and in 1914 his son Seymour was born. In 1920 his daughter Sylvia was born and in 1926 a second son, John was born.

George and Emma lived in Poole all their lives, celebrating their Golden Wedding anniversary in 1963.

Emma died in 1969.

George worked for the Gas Board until his retirement in 1956 after service lasting 46 years.

His son John and his grandson Michael also worked for the Gas Board as did his granddaughter Julie. George and Emma had ten grandchildren.

George died in 1990, just weeks before his 100th birthday.