However, something unexpected happened.
Keith Budgen, the man who had sold the letters, decided he couldn’t keep the auction money.
“I woke up the following morning and immediately contacted Andy,” said Keith.
“I said, ‘You can have the money back. It’s the right thing to do.’
“I had been given the letters, and I just knew that Andy had to have them.”
The pair bonded over the letters and came up with the idea to commemorate Willie, the fallen soldier, in Knighton – the place where he and Gladys had married.
What followed was a remarkable community effort.
Within just two-and-a-half weeks, supporters raised £1,600 for a memorial bench at St Edward’s Church.
The church immediately embraced the project and a remembrance service was organised. Bell-ringers created a special tribute, a bugler volunteered to play, and members of the Royal British Legion lent their support.
“The fact that he wasn’t commemorated on any cenotaph, either in the town where he was born or in Knighton, made it a fabulous idea,” said Ian Ferguson, of the Royal British Legion.
Reverend Rachael Storer, of St Edward’s Church, paid tribute to Andy’s determination to share the couple’s story.
“It all started with those letters that he bought at auction,” she said.
”Ultimately, this is a story about love.”
