For 95 years the body of 19-year-old Frederick Arthur Dyson lay alongside 248 of his comrades in an unmarked mass grave at Pheasant Wood in northern France.

It was the DNA of Fred's nephew and closest living relative, Kempsey man Don Dyson, which ultimately led to the identification of his uncle's body.

On Tuesday the Australian Defence Force informed Mr Dyson, and relatives of 74 other soldiers killed in the 1916 Battle of Fromelles, that their loved ones had finally been found.

Nearly 800 Australians sent DNA samples to the Federal Government after exhumations at the Pheasant Wood grave as part of a Commonwealth project to identify the soldiers' remains.

The bodies were exhumed and recovered by an English firm, Oxford Archaeology, last year and the soldiers were reinterred with full military honours in individual, unmarked graves last month.

Those who have been identified will now have their headstones inscribed in time for a special ceremony on the anniversary of the battle, July 19, at the new War Graves cemetery.

Mr Dyson, Fred's closest living relative, said the discovery bought to an end an unfinished chapter in the family's history.

"I just wish his parents and brother and sister could have been alive when his body was discovered," he said.

"Naturally I was hoping he would one day be identified, but I felt there was only a really remote chance he would be buried at Pheasant Wood. I got the shock of my life."

Fred was one of two Kempsey brothers to be declared missing in action (later killed in action) during the First World War.

Older brother Bert was killed in 1917 at Ypres in Belgium. His body has never been found.

"Bert's name is on the Menin Wall at Ypres and Fred's name was on the memorial panel in VC Corner at Fromelles," Mr Dyson said.

"That will now be removed."

At the conclusion of the battle the German government returned Fred's identification disks to his family, but it was the only clue they had of his whereabouts.

As the closest living relative of Fred Dyson, Mr Dyson has been given the honour of compiling the message that will ultimately decorate his uncle's headstone.
"All the other people who provided information about Fred have been given my email address because I'm in charge of what goes on the headstone," he said.
"I've already had phone calls from some of them. They're from all over Australia."
Mr Dyson said he would not be attending the July 19 ceremony, but knew of at least one relative, a cousin, who was.
Fred Dyson was the youngest of three Sherwood brothers to fight in the First World War.
Middle brother Bert was killed at Ypres while eldest brother William served in the light horse in Egypt and Palestine and came home to Kempsey.

Added by a visiting Australian with great respect.

Pte Frederick Arthur DYSON 1896-1916 Macleay River Historical Society, Hazel Ponchard Collection L/P022(012)