I am writing to invite the family of Mr William Clay to attend the Remembrance Sunday Service at 10.30am on 10th November at St Mary's Church Summerstown, Wimbledon Road, SW17.

It was about 20 years ago on a Remembrance Sunday morning in the mid-1990s that I discovered a brown A4 envelope and a small posy of artificial flowers on my vicarage doorstep.

A note on the envelope read, 'I had hoped to be able to place the enclosed and posy at the war memorial in church this morning. Would you be so kind as to place these for me. Many thanks'.

The note was signed, 'I. Clay'.

Inside the envelope was a single typed sheet with a list of names and dates entitled, 'Descendants of William Clay II'.

The paper also has a photograph of a gentleman in army uniform and another with his family.

At the bottom of the paper appears a handwritten note, 'In remembrance of a dear father and with love from all above'.

The list of William Clay's descendants covers 100 years from the 1880s to the present.

The name 'W. Clay' appears with others on our church war memorial.

That morning I did as requested and placed the paper and posy at our war memorial.

I noticed that the paper looked fragile alongside poppy wreaths so I fixed it into a wood and glass frame.

I now write to inform Mr Clay's family, who I have not yet met, that this gentleman has been especially remembered when the same framed family list and posy has been placed every year since.

I also write to invite the family to attend St Mary's Remembrance Service.

The service is attended by Tooting and Balham Sea Cadets, St John's Ambulance, service and ex-service personnel, and this year by the MP for Tooting.

The service includes appropriate hymns, the Last Post and Reveille by a trumpeter, the silence at 11am, and the placing of poppy wreaths.

The Reverend Dr Roger Ryan; Vicar of St Mary's Summerstown; Wimbledon Road SW17