AS a youngster, David Hill often went to visit his grandma Mary Hill, who lived close to the family home in Victoria Street, Rishton.

Born Mary O’Brien, her brother Thomas had been killed in France in 1916.

“Never forget your Uncle Tommy,” were the words he used to hear as a lad of six or seven — and as he got older, not knowing any details about his great uncle he decided to find out.

David wrote to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, giving the information he had — and back came his details.

Tommy had been born in County Durham in 1890, but at the time of enlisting in Blackburn, had lived at 9 Chapel Street; Rishton.

The commission revealed that Private Thomas O’Brien, service number 22706, of the 2nd Battalion, Durham Light Infantry, had died on May 27, 1918.

He was buried in grave three, row E plot three, at Brandhoek new military cemetery in Belgium.

The commission also told that after the war it had sent a form for verification and other particulars to Tommy’s recorded next of kin, but no contact was made.

David said: “Mindful of my grandmother’s words as a child, I wanted to pay my respects to him and visited his grave in 2013.

“It was chance that my visit coincided with the anniversary of his death — and I was the first person to visit his grave in 95 years.

“It was an emotional time and I am so glad that he has not been forgotten.”

n During the First World War Brandhoek was within an area comparatively safe from shell fire and field ambulances were posted their continuously.

Until July, 1917 burials took place in the military cemetery, but the arrival of the 32nd, 3rd Australian and 44th Casualty Clearing Stations, as part of the preparations for the Battle of Passchendaele, made it necessary to open the New military cemetery.

It continued in use until May 1918 and is the final resting place of 975 World War I servicemen.

David is uncertain whether this is a picture of his uncle, taken around a 100 years ago – and this one shows his grave.