Letter to an Unknown Soldier

"On Platform One of Paddington Station in London, there is a statue of an unknown soldier; he's reading a letter."

So begins one of the most creative commemorations of the First World War we've seen in this centenary year. 'Letter to an Unknown Soldier' encourages people of all ages and backgrounds to imagine what words might be found on the Paddington soldier's letter. When Stephen, one of the André Deutsch team, first saw the project he knew immediately what he wanted to say to the unknown soldier. You can read his letter below:

Dear Us,

I have to admit, I’d never really noticed you before, standing quietly to the side with a letter in your hand. I’d like to say it’s because life doesn’t often take me through Paddington’s bow-legged concourse, but I don’t think that’s true. Rather, I suppose I have ignored you. Consciously uncoupled myself from the past in favour of Samsung phones and pop culture references.

You see, I worry. I worry that were I to stop before you, instead of shuffling past with my head buried in the present, I might see something of myself in your sunken features and war-torn stance. I might realise that you are not the unknown soldier everyone says you are, but rather some earlier form of me. My mind, my heart, born to another time. And then, reluctantly, I would have to face up to your war as though it were mine.

I would have to place myself some hundred years outside of my comfort zone, and make decisions I’d rather not have to make. I would have to consider the consequences of my choices – not just for me, but for people I’ve never even met. For people not yet born.

I would have to consider how I might react under enemy fire, if I could react at all. I would have to imagine the feel of a revolver's grip in my hand, and whether it might scare me or elicit something even worse. Whether it might tempt me. Would I be a hero, or just another young man entrenched overseas, and out of his depth?

I’d like to say that sometimes I stand below you for minutes at time, considering these things, but I can’t. I just walk past, head down, locking you out with my headphones and touchscreen.

Read Stephen's letter and more on the 1418 Now website! We've also curated a playlist of World War One songs that you can listen to here.