British soldier proposes to wrong number

GATESHEAD, England, Jan. 26 (UPI) -- A British soldier left a long message asking his girlfriend to marry him on the wrong answering machine, the woman who got the message said.

Diana Potts, a 44-year-old mother of three who got the message, told The Sun she wants to pass the message on. The only clues are that the proposal was intended for a woman named Samantha who probably lives close enough to Potts, a resident of Gateshead in northern England, that their numbers could be easily confused.

Potts said the soldier sounded very young, the Sun reported Wednesday. While he did not say where he was, he talked about a friend who had just been blown up, leading her to believe he was calling from Afghanistan.

"It did upset me hearing it. I just thought, 'Bless him', he sounded so young. His girlfriend must be having a baby and I really hope she gets in touch," Potts said.

The soldier apologized for not calling last month and said he expects to be home in three months.

"I love you with all my heart, and I was going to ask you, don't answer, obviously you can't answer, but will you marry me?" he says.