Susanna Reid's first World War past
There were more than 16 million deaths in WWI and dying with many of the wounded were their stories, leading to many forgotten lives.
Over the next week we go on a journey of discovery with our presenters as they piece together the jigsaw puzzle of their families WWI pasts. Who will discover their Great Uncle was decorated and whose Great Uncle went down with the ship? Today we take a look at Susanna Reid's past...
Catch up on Good Morning Britain with ITV Player
Find out more information about your WW1 family tree with the National Archives website
Find out more about what life was like during WW1 with the Imperial War Museum in London
Interesting facts from Susanna's family past...
Sidney Howard Welch, Susanna’s great uncle on her mother's side, served with the Royal artillery and was awarded a Military cross in 1918, for an act of bravery during the War
Through information from Jessamy Carlson, at the National Archive, we learnt that Sidney was injured twice - he had a hernia trying to move a gun, under shellfire in 1915 and then he was shot through the hand in 1918 which fractured his finger
Sidney’s officers record shows us: he signed up in March 1909, he was already in service before WW1 was declared, he was aged 18 and 11 months
He started as a driver and became gunner, bombadier, corporal and sergeant, he started WW1 as corporal, ended as sergeant
He enrolled in Chatham and we know he spent time in France and Belgium, his medical history tells us he was “fit and well” when he joined
Military Cross: We know from a cutting from the London Gazette that Sidney was awarded the MC for gallantry and bravery in the the line of duty, he was on duty as a forward observation officer during an attack and was commended for his bravery under enemy attack
He retired in 1921 but tried to sign up for the second World War as well
We also found out that Sidney was granted special leave for urgent personal circumstances in 1917 - during this time he got married