A few years ago I came across the grave of a young British soldier in France, one of thousands, one of hundreds of thousands. I had stopped to look, I think, because there was a wreath of poppies lying there. I read on the gravestone that this was a private killed in 1918, just two weeks before the end of the first world war.

He was aged just 21. On the wreath was written: To my Grandpa. I never knew you, and I wish I had. Out of the ten million soldiers who were killed on all sides, many were young, some barely out of school. Most never grew old enough to know and be known by their children or their grandchildren. This book is for them.

The title of the book, Only Remembered, is also the song that begins and ends the National Theatre’s play of War Horse. It was written by John Tams, the great folk singer. Here is a verse of that song:

Only the truth that in life we have spoken,
Only the seed that in life we have sown.
These shall pass onwards when we are forgotten.
Only remembered for what we have done.

Here in this book you will find truth, which comes in many guises, in history, in stories, fictional and non-fictional, in poems and songs and pictures. The choices are personal, sometimes memories from childhood or a family connection, memories of a great-grandfather, a friend or a childhood and life changed forever by the war.

During these next four years of commemoration we should read the poems, the stories, the history, the diaries, visit the cemeteries – German cemeteries as well as ours.

And there should be no flag waving, unless it be the lowering of the flags of all the nations who lost their sons, unless it be to celebrate the peace we now share together, unless it be to reaffirm again our determination to guard our freedom, but as far as humanly possible to do it in peace.

We have three signed copies of Only Remembered to give away. To win email childrens.books@theguardian.com with the subject heading ‘Only Remembered’ by Sunday 7 July 2014 at 6pm.

*Please note this competition is now closed*