On Tuesday 28 April 2026, at 15h30, a ceremony was held at Zantvoorde British Cemetery in Zandvoorde. Lance Corporal Lionel Weller Sandell was given a new gravestone bearing his name, thanks to research that proved he was indeed buried there. 

Lionel Weller Sandell - known to his family as Solly - was born in Worthing, Sussex in 1899, the oldest of three chilkdren, and the only son of Herbert Weller Sandell, a builder, and his wife Edith Marian Corlass. Lionel seems to have had a loving and supportive family life, splitting time between his parent's home with his sisters, and his grandparents' home - they lived just a short walk away, and Lionel's aunt Kate - a school teacher - also lived there. 

Lioenl first attempted to join the war effort during the early wave of patriotism that swept Britain in 1914. Many young men signed up during this period seeking adventure and travel - and a break from their ordinary lives, and he wasn't alone in attempting to join up underage. Solly presented himself at the recruiting office on 9 November 1914 - he was just 15 years old.

Despite his young age he successfully managed to enlist in the 2/4 (Home Service) Battalion of the Royal Sussex Regiment under Service No. 2654. He told the recruiters he was 17 1/2 years old - he was measured at 5ft 5 inches tall with 'good physical development', and could well have appeared older than his 14 years. The recruiters and medical staff evidently believed that he was old enough and fit enough to serve and recorded his 'apparent age' as 17 years and 7 months. He was sent into training. At this point the minimum age to be sent for overseas service was supposed to be 19 years old, so Solly was taken on with time for a proprer amount of training before he would be sent to the front.




































































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