The family of a Bradford on Avon soldier who died in a First World War battle 93 years ago are still waiting to see if his remains have been found in a mass grave.

Rosina Clark, whose great uncle Private Walter John Deverell died in the Battle of Fromelles in northern France in July 1916, said she is hoping his remains will be identified through DNA in time for them to attend a memorial ceremony at Fromelles in the summer.

Mr Deverell’s niece Gwen Hird provided the DNA sample to the Commonwealth Graves Commission, as she is his closest living relative.

Mrs Clark, of Penwood Close, Westbury, said: “We have not had any news about the DNA results yet. We are just waiting for a letter to come through the door.

“The remains are being re-buried now and when they have identified Walter’s remains they will place a headstone on his grave.

“Hopefully we will find out before the ceremony, which is being held in Fromelles on July 19, because then we will be invited to it.

“There will only be 200 relatives allowed into the cemetery for the service.

“But it could take months or years to get the DNA results back and bury Walter properly.”

The re-burial of Wiltshire soldiers in a new cemetery started last Wednesday and will continue until February 12.

Five burial pits were found on the edge of Pheasant Wood, near Fromelles, in 2008. Excavation work began last spring.

Mrs Clark said she still gets quite emotional thinking about her great uncle, who was just 19 when he died, despite the fact she never met him.

“I just think about all those young soldiers who are out there fighting now, they get repatriated and sent back to their families.

“Walter never got that as he was put in a mass grave.

“I just think it would be so good for my family to be able to lay him to rest properly.”

The 69-year-old found out about Mr Deverell’s death while researching her family tree and has been looking into his life for the past few years.

The family found his name engraved on a plaque at Westwood Church, near Bradford on Avon, along with all the names of other local men who lost their lives during the First World War.

He had lived in Avoncliff before serving in the Great War with The Gloucestershire Regiment.

*Wiltshire soldiers are providing burial parties for the re-burial of hundreds of British and Australian First World War soldiers who died during the Battle of Fromelles.

A group of 13 servicemen and women from 1st Battalion Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, based in Tidworth, are on duty at the new Fromelles cemetery until February 12.

Captain Matt Clarke, officer in charge of the Fusilier contingent, said: “It’s a real honour for us to be taking part in this unique and historic task.

“We feel privileged to be finally giving our fellow Fusiliers, who sacrificed everything for our freedom, a fitting burial, a military funeral with full honours.

“These re-burials serve to add weight to the words spoken on November 11, ‘we will remember them’.”

Following the Battle of Fromelles on July 19, 1916, the bodies of 250 soldiers were buried at Pheasant Wood, near the small French village, by German forces.

It was the first major battle on the Western Front involving both British and Australian troops.

In total, the 61st British Division saw 1,547 either killed, wounded, taken prisoner or missing while the 5th Australian Division suffered 5,533 losses.

The burial pit was found during an initial excavation in May 2008 and work to recover the bodies started last May.

The Commonwealth Graves Commission oversaw the work on behalf of both the British and Australian governments, who shared the cost of the excavation and initial DNA investigations.

In August last year the DNA testing programme, the largest ever commissioned to identify individuals killed in combat, began.