A sculptor has described taking inspiration from the story of her great-uncle as she created a spectacular new bronze war memorial for South Brent's church.

Wendy Bristow was asked to create the piece to go in St Petroc Church in the village. It will occupy pride of place alongside the two memorials, to the dead of the first and second world wars, that are already there.

The need for a new memorial was recognised by local author Bernard Elms, who spent years researching Brent men who died during the great war of 1914-1918 for his book The Tommies from South Brent. In his book, Bernard revealed the names of five men who were not included on the original memorial.

So church members began to look at a new monument to recognise the sacrifice of the forgotten five. Bernard became aware of Wendy's work when he saw her carving a huge apple from limestone and a number of slate carvings in the garden of her mother's house in South Brent, she said, and commissioned her to create the new memorial.

Wendy explained her piece, which shows a soldier being held and presumably taken up to heaven by an angel, is based on a painting by James Clark. The painting, called The Great Reward was one of two painted by Clark that caught the imagination of the public in the midst of the horrors of war.

Wendy said: "Barney had thought of this picture as it was sent to all the families of those who lost their lives, along with an inscribed bronze penny and a letter of condolence from King George V. It's funny, The Great Reward was commissioned originally by The Graphic newspaper in 1917, and 100 years later I've been commissioned to do this.

"Initially he thought of having it carved from slate. But that would have taken about three months to do, so I thought why don't I do it in clay, and then a cast can be taken in resin or bronze."

Once happy with the clay version, Wendy took it up to a foundry near London for a bronze cast to be made. The finished article will be put on display in the church with a slate plaque bearing the names of the five men.

Wendy, who was born in South Africa, said she took inspiration from a photo of her great uncle Victor Hagglund and his fiancée, taken just before he left for the war. Victor, fighting in a South African regiment for the allied forces, was killed a month before the end of the war.

Wendy said: "He died just before the war ended, so when I was working on the soldier and the angel it was him I was thinking of. When I'm working I like to have an idea, a purpose for why I'm taking the time to do it.

"The picture was an inspiration. He lost his life aged just 21, the last of three brothers to be killed."