Wirral soldier appeal as mass war grave is found in France

May 13 2009 by Alan Weston, Birkenhead News

THE RELATIVES of a brave Birkenhead soldier who gave his life in a bloody World War I battle are being sought.

The remains of Private John Broomfield, along with those of six soldiers from Liverpool, are believed to be among the 400 bodies buried in a mass grave discovered at Fromelles in northern France.

They died in a fierce battle which took place over July 19 and 20, 1916.

The mass grave by Pheasant Wood on the edge of Fromelles is thought to consist of eight pits, dug by German forces.

Now an appeal has gone out to any surviving relatives of those believed to be in the mass grave to come forward.

Most of the seven soldiers served with the Royal Warwickshire Regiment.

The remains of an eighth soldier, from Ormskirk, is also believed to be in the burial site.

The grave is now being excavated before the men are reburied with full military honours at a new site nearby.