A GESTURE of kindness given to a World War I Delungra soldier has been returned by his family 100 years later.

Private Cyril Johnston was given a matchbox by the citizens of Delungra in 1915 before he left to serve in the Great War.

The 24-year-old lost his life at the famous Battle of Fromelles over July 19-20, 1916.

On Saturday, Private Johnston’s niece Alison Hosegood, her son Graham Hosegood, daughter Jude Gengos and granddaughter Lizzy Gengos gathered with a crowd of about 50 local residents and visitors from Inverell at the Delungra Bowling Club to mark the occasion with the gift of a framed memorial of the fallen soldier.

Graham presented the community with a framed memorial, including a photo of the matchbox, original 1915 article from The Inverell Times recording the gift to the young private, and photo of Cyril.

The small box, preserved in an archival container, was present on Saturday and passed carefully from hand to hand, around the room.

Graham said the gift to his great uncle was a wonderful thing, and the matchbox proved a great clue for the family to find closure at Cyril’s loss.

“His mother never knew where he was killed, and there’s a memorial to him at Elsmore, at Elsmore Cemetery, where his mother was buried and it was presumed he died at Pozieres,” he said.

“After we found he was actually killed at Fromelles, we put on an addendum on his mother's grave.”

The small, seemingly insignificant and blackened matchbox found by archaeologists excavating a mass grave at Fromelles was the key to begin the process of identifying Cyril’s remains.

Once they had a lead, DNA completed the identification.

He was eventually interned with about 200 other Commonwealth World War I soldiers in 2010 at Pheasant Wood Military Cemetery, Fromelles, and Alison was present for the ceremony.

She said the service was very moving, and when they recovered the matchbox, the family felt it was right to give something back to the community.

“We just thought that it’s come back, so it would be nice for the people of Delungra to have something,” Alison said, and her son agreed.

“It’s a wonderful thing that the people of Delungra can come together again for a celebration of Cyril’s life 100 years ago,” Graham said.