A PROJECT to encourage young people to find out about the Great War by creating Facebook and Twitter accounts for an imaginary soldier has been shortlisted for a national award.

Out of more than 160 projects, WW1 Soldier’s Tale was chosen earlier this month as one of 16 finalists at the Remember WW1 Awards in London.

It the story of fictional British soldier Walter Carter told on social media by advertising agency Ardington-based DNA

The awards, designed to recognise acts of commemoration in the centenary years of the First World War, chose the Oxfordshire project as an outstanding example in the Community Research and History category for its dedication to telling the story of soldiers in the trenches and of the Home Front.

David Noble, managing director of the agency near Wantage, said: "We launched the project in June 2014.

"Young people are following Walter's adventures in the First World War online - lots of schoolchildren have adopted him and catch up with what he is doing every week.

"We were delighted to be chosen as finalists among some truly outstanding projects over the last two years.

"This year has been an extraordinary year for us, which included being part of a national commemoration of the Battle of the Somme in Manchester, where we were privileged to speak to hundreds of schoolchildren and adults over two days.

"I would like to think what we have done with Walter could encourage similar projects at individual schools."

The fictional tale of a Territorial Force soldier from Battersea caught the judges’ eye with its method of covering the war in real time using Facebook, Twitter and a blog.

This has enabled DNA to appeal to young people among its 23,000 followers.

Walter is joined on social media by his family and friends, all of whom share pictures, news articles and experiences from the time.

The project follows the progress of a real battalion, uses contemporary diaries and letters, and is checked regularly by a team of historians.

Walter's character has been created from a range of historical sources but the photo of Walter is that of a First World War soldier from a Welsh regiment, whose identity is not known by the agency.

In a Facebook post earlier this month Walter said: "The government reckons they want to find a way to give all soldiers and sailors the vote.

"What a thing that would be. At the moment we can only vote if we’re over 21 and a householder or tenant, which seems a bit rich when you’ve been off fighting for your country since you were 18."

People can follow Walter's experiences at facebook.com/WW1SoldiersTale or on twitter.com/WW1SoldiersTale

The research project is a non-profit making initiative created through the partnership of DNA, the heritage owner of the project The Reserve Forces’ and Cadets’ Association for Greater London, and Wandsworth Council.

For further information visit ww1soldierstale.co.uk