A HUNDRED years ago, a young soldier named Wass Reader confided his experiences of fighting in the First World War to his diary.

He wrote about lice infesting his clothes; about a dogfight in the skies; about the horror of seeing 150 dead nurses awaiting burial.

Because he wrote in shorthand, for many years the contents of his diary remained a mystery.

Now, following an appeal by the Castle Museum, every word has been translated by volunteers and the diary has been included in the museum’s 1914 exhibition.

It provides a very personal account of the war of 100 years ago, and reminds us again why we should never forget.