The family of a young Bradford soldier killed in the First World War are waiting to find out whether his remains have been found in a mass grave on a battlefield.

Private John Holdsworth, of Queensbury, was only 16 when he died during the Battle of Fromelles in northern France in July, 1916.

The bodies of 250 British and Australian soldiers were excavated last year from six mass graves where they had been buried by the Germans after the battle.

Pte Holdsworth’s nephew Brian Holdsworth, 77, also of Queensbury, has given a DNA sample to the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency to help determine whether his remains were among those in the mass graves.

Such was Pte Holdsworth’s desire to join up that he tried to run away from home three times before he was successful on his fourth attempt, enlisting into the Middlesex Regiment in Tring, Hertfordshire, aged only 15 after lying about his age. He later joined the Machine Gun Corps.

Mr Holdsworth, who served with the Army in Korea, said: “John wasn’t mentioned much when I was growing up as my father would only have been eight or nine when he died. I think being formally laid to rest will be fitting tribute to his life.”

Pte Holdsworth’s great-nephew Michael Langan, 42, of Boothtown, Halifax, started researching his great-uncle’s life for a school history project after seeing a picture of him at his grandparents’ house.

After leaving school he continued his research, contacting the Imperial War Museum and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC).

He said: “Using his Army number I was able to find out about the battle and how he joined up. He would have done at least six months with the Middlesex Regiment before the Machine Guns Corps was created in October, 1915.

“These guys were all hand-picked. They had to be very skilled for the job they were doing. Fromelles was the first battle for the whole division. They were brand new soldiers and they were fighting against a Bavarian regiment who had been there for two years. In the space of 24 hours they were squandered. It’s unbelievable the numbers that were killed.”

He added: “It’s quite strange to be proud of somebody you have never met. It’s nearly 100 years ago but it still makes me proud to think he was prepared to join up so young. It would be great to identify him but it’s such a lottery.”

Mr Langan has the Bible which Pte Holdsworth took to France. It was returned to his parents with a letter from his commanding officer telling of his death.

The letter described Pte Holdsworth as “one of the best men we had in the company” who “was cheerful and ready to do his best whatever task was given to him”.

Mr Langan said he and other family members plan to visit Fromelles (Pheasant Wood) Military Cemetery, where the first of the 250 soldiers were laid to rest with full military honours last Saturday.