There are too many numbers in our lives. From mobile phones to home numbers, PINs to post codes, we are ever more dependent on digits 0 to 9 to help us run our lives.

This means that it's now almost unheard of for people to memorise numbers of friends and loved ones, instead letting their phones do it for them, which on the most part is definitely a good thing.

But, pity the poor squaddie based in Afghanistan who, obviously deprived of a personal mobile, rang what he thought was his girlfriend's number to propose and, when she didn't answer, left a message asking the big question. Only it was the wrong number.

"Couldn't call last month but you know what it is like out there. I will be back in a few months. Really, really sad one of the guys has been blown up. Speak to you next month. Love you so much, with all my heart, and I was going to ask you, will you marry me?" The message read.

The man has yet to be tracked down but the hunt is on to find the right girl, "Samantha", to make sure she gets the important message.

Sneak's a cynical old thing and on first hearing this story was immediately moved to suspect the guiding hand of a PR overlord working for the voicemail firm, or perhaps some satellite phone provider over which the message was left.

But on listening to the message it's hard to believe it's not genuine, or that a PR company would stoop as low as to conjure up the idea of a man grieving for a friend who died in a bomb and propose accidentally to the wrong person to flog some products.

Right?

28 Jan 2011