​Families of British soldiers believed to have been killed in a First World War battle have had hopes of having their relatives’ identities confirmed quashed.

The quest to give names to the 250 Allied servicemen found buried in a mass grave has been “challenging”, Veterans Minister Kevan Jones admitted today.

Living relatives of the British soldiers thought to have been killed in the 1916 battle of Fromelles, in northern France, gave DNA samples to aid the process after the bodies were exhumed last year.

They have now been informed that while no British soldiers could be named, it has been confirmed that three of the 250 soldiers were British.

The remains of around 60 fallen Gloucestershire Regiment soldiers are believed to lie in eight pits made by German soldiers after a bitter battle there in 1916.

A list of Great War soldiers whose bodies were never found is at the Regiments of Gloucestershire Museum at Gloucester Docks.

Many of them could be accounted for at Fromelles.

Eighteen families contacted the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency, based at the Imjin Barracks in Innsworth, and at least two of them are from the Gloucester area.

However, the names of 75 Australian soldiers found in the mass grave at Pheasant Wood have been released today.

Mr Jones said: “Identification is a challenging task and this has been no exception.

“We are disappointed that there was insufficient evidence to name British soldiers but I would like to thank the families for the support that they have all given to this project.

“Although no British soldiers could be named, I am pleased that we can confirm three having served with the British Army.

“What is most important is that these men have all been laid to rest with the dignity and honour they deserve. The identification process will remain open for another four years and I hope that families will continue to make contact.”

All but one of the soldiers found in the mass grave have now been reburied in a new cemetery at Fromelles, with the last to be buried on July 19 at a ceremony to mark the anniversary of the battle.

The battle left 1,547 British and 5,533 Australian soldiers dead, wounded, taken prisoner or missing.

Of the 250 soldiers found, a total of 203 have been identified as Australians. The others are currently classified as “unknown”.

Australian defence personnel minister Greg Combet said: “The number of soldiers that we have been able to identify exceeds even our most optimistic forecasts.

“We are unlikely to identify every man. However, we will continue to take all reasonable steps to maximise those named in the future.”

He said DNA was the “key piece of the identification puzzle”.

The Joint Identification Board tasked with naming the soldiers will meet again in May to consider further DNA samples from Australia.

The full list of names of the Australian servicemen who have been identified is available at www.cwgc.org/fromelles.