Sergeant Ernest Augustus Jentsch's family always thought he was laid to rest in a war cemetery grave in France. But a phone call regarding the young 53rd Battalion soldier killed during the battle at Fromelles, changed all that.
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Barry Konemann of Bathurst said his family was informed earlier this year that it was discovered his mother's cousin had actually been buried in one of two mass graves, forgotten for more than 90 years.
"We always thought he was buried in the VC corner in the war cemetery," Mr Konemann said.
"We have always taken that to be a grave and to the best of our knowledge, our parents thought that too.
"But then we were contacted by the army and informed that he may have been in a mass grave. In some ways it was strange but it was a bit of a surprise. The army has kept in touch since then. They got a viable DNA and that confirmed he was one of those found.
"He has subsequently been interned in the new cemetery, right alongside where the unknown soldier is interned."
Mr Konemann will join his extended family when they will visit France in July this year for a special ceremony at the new War Graves ceremony on July 19.
He said he had not really known much about his relative until he started dabbling in his family tree.
"I didn't know anything about it [Sergeant Jentsch's death] until I started in our family history," he said.
Mr Konemann said he thought the ceremony in July would be quite powerful.
"I expect it to be moving. All funerals are moving," Mr Konemann said.
"For a lot of people it is closure. About a dozen people from his family group will be there.
"It is moving to think we had him come back and now he is going away again.
"It's going to bring finality and the realisation that these people gave their lives for our country."
Sergeant Ernest Augustus Jentsch of the 53rd Battalion died during the battle at Fromelles in France on July 19, 1916.
He was about 21years old.
