The ADF Director of General Explosive Ordnance learned later in the ceremony the nephew of one of those killed was standing just metres away.

“One hundred ago yesterday, on the eve of Anzac Day 1918, the German Spring offensive captured the French village of Villers-Bretonneux from British forces,” she said.

“The plan to retake it was simple but audacious; the Australians would undertake a surprise night attack … the Australians were successful.

“General George Grogan VC later wrote perhaps it was the greatest individual feat of the War.

“The cost was high – the Commonwealth War Graves cemetery there contains over 2100 graves of serviceman from the first World War and 779 of them are Australian.”

Lance-Corporal Reginald Thomas Lobb, a Lewis Gunner for A-Company, III Platoon, is among those buried.

He had enlisted at just 22 years old in 1916, and was killed by enemy fire.

Lance-Corporal Lobb’s nephew, Len Thomas of Wodonga, was at the service and Mr Thomas’ niece Denise Anderson explained how the family researched their war hero’s story.

“There were three boys who died together,” she said.

“Reginald was known in the war as Tom – so it was ‘Tommy was a great bloke’ – we had all this information from the Red Cross.

“We were going for a wedding in France and we were lucky enough to find him; all three were buried together.”

With the assistance of his nephew Neil Hillas, Mr Thomas put down a wooden cross with his uncle’s name on at Wodonga’s Cenotaph, which will later remain at the Wodonga RSL sub-branch.

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