Hannah Sumner

For My Brother

Fundraising for The Rifles Regimental Trust

Story

The Challenge

Run Hadrian's Wall (84 miles) Monday 12th - Friday 16th July 2010

Swim the Hellespont (4km) 29th August 2010 [ www.swimtrek.com/special-swims]

At this moment, It is difficult to write what Paul meant to my family, his friends, his colleagues, his Riflemen and the void that his death in Afghanistan has created. So, in the meantime, this is what others have said about him:

"There was no more committed officer in the Rifles and the Riflemen adored being under his command" Leiutenant Colonel Rob Thomson, 2 Rifles

"You were a gentleman with everyone's best interests at heart, always with a kind word, always ready to help and give all of yourself. And I guess that is why you were stolen from us. Paul gave all of himself to those who needed him the most, the voiceless people who needed someone as brave as him to protect them. I love you Paul, and you leave behind an impossible task for someone to fill your size 14 once-were-white trainers. Take it easy mate, Seb."
Seb Howell, friend

"You will never be best man at my wedding, but you will always be the best man I have ever known." Will Badenoch, friend

"The 'Merv-dog' was like no other officer, he was always joking and laughing like one of the lads. He wasn’t just a Platoon Commander but a friend too.", "a fearless leader and an outstanding friend." Lance Corporal Joe Ells, 2 Rifles

"Paul Mervis was one in a trillion. I have never met a more passionate and engaging young officer in my twelve years in the army." Major Alastair Field, 2 Rifles

"I have the opportunity to serve beside Paul in Afghan and he was to me a brother that i never had. He was intelligent, very funny and was very caring. Back in the Fob we were family, he told our Doctor and few other brothers, that he fell in love with my voice the first time he heard me singing. I asked him "is that all", jokingly. He said, three reasons it cannot be more then that. One it will compromise my rank, two you are the only sister we all have out here in the fob and three you are Fijian. Everyone laughed and i promise him i will never sing to him again. Everyone of us felt that emptyness inside of us when he left us. It felt like a hundred men strong, left us when he's gone. After sunset the evening he passed, the flag was lowered at half mast, all lights were turned off and everyone had a candle each, once again for the last time, i echoed our voice in a tribute song in the desert. I really could not tell what was worse, letting go of Paul or the sound of 124 men sobing in tears. At that instance i could picture him laughing at us saying, one, you are sing again for me and two now look who's crying." Titilia Fisher, 2 Rifles

This extract from The Four Quartets ended my final "ebluey" (army email) to him, which I wrote in response to the death of his Rifleman, Cyrus Thatcher. He would have read it in the few days before he died:

The dove descending breaks the air

With flame of incandescent terror

Of which the tongues declare

The one discharge from sin and error.

The only hope, or else despair

Lies in the choice of pyre or pyre,

to be redeemed from fire by fire.

Who then devised the torment? Love.

Love is the unfamiliar Name

Behind the hands that wove

The intolerable shirt of flame

Which human power cannot remove.