THE cousin of a Great Harwood soldier, killed in WWI, was attending a military funeral in France today, in which 15 men were finally being laid to rest, 100 years on.

Mrs Olive Shorrock, of Blackburn, has been invited to the ceremony by the Army, even though her cousin Clarence Slater has not been identified as one of them.

She underwent DNA testing four years ago when the remains of soldiers were found during excavation work at Beauchamp Ligny, on the French/Belgium border, where they have lain since falling in battle, only weeks after the war began.

Identification is strongest in the female line, although she is only a second cousin once removed — her great grandmother and his grandmother were sisters.

She later traced a great nephew Raymond Joinson from Clayton-le-Moors and a second cousin Leslie Slater in Darwen, who was also tested, but no more female descendents.

Personal artefacts and cap badges were found among the twisted skeletons in 2009 — one is thought to be that of a French cavalry man, as the bones of his horse were also discovered — which identified most of them, as belonging to the York and Lancashire Regiment.

It is known that the 2nd battalion fought in this area and war records show that during an ill-fated advance that day, they were driven back by machine guns, losing 34 men with 93 wounded.

Beauchamp Ligny fell in German hands and remained behind enemy lines until the last weeks of 1918.

Clarence had only been in France for a couple of weeks, when he was posted as missing in action.

His name is remembered on the Ploegsteert Memorial in Ieper, Belgium, where Olive planned to visit after the funeral, to lay a poppy wreath.

He is one of 11,367 servicemen who died in the area, but have no known grave.

Clarence was born in Great Harwood around 1888 and joined the army in 1904 after giving a false age.

When war broke out he was in Ireland as a reservist and the unit was quickly shipped back to Wales, before marching to Southampton, via Cambridge, where they underwent a period of training.

He had only been in France for a month, when he was killed at the age of 26.

Said Olive: “ It is very sad they have not been able to identify Clarence, but I feel very privileged to be asked to the funeral which will be held with full military honours.

“It will be a sobering experience in this centenary year.”

She added: “Eleven of the 15 men have been positively identified and their headstones at Bois Grenier will bear their names, the remaining four will bear the words unknown soldier, until such times as their names may be known.

“It would be winderful if, one day Clarence could be discovered and identified.”