THE family of an unknown soldier whose body was found nearly 60 years after the Second World War has been traced to Bolton.

Private Arthur Foster of the Border Regiment, died during the battle of Arnhem on September 21, 1944. He was just 27.

His skeleton was found in a garden in Veerweg, Oosterbeek, by the Royal Dutch Army during an excavation exercise in spring last year. He had been killed by shrapnel.

The army managed to trace the soldier's name through objects found with him and an appeal was put out for any family members to come forward.

Originally, the search was conducted in Carlisle, where his family lived, but an Arnhem researcher has found that Mr Foster was born in Bolton and his Bolton family have been traced, although their whereabouts are being kept secret.

Mike Gallagher, aged 39, of Heaton, started to research the Battle of Arnhem 28 years ago when his father took him to see the film of the event A Bridge Too Far. He received his latest copy of the Friends of the Airborne Museum magazine, from Holland, which detailed the appeal for Mr Foster.

After some research, he found that Mr Foster was actually born in Bolton.

Mr Gallagher said: "When I saw the article, I just thought I'd cross reference the name in When Dragons Flew, a book all about Mr Foster's unit.

"It's lovely that some family members have been traced because it's the last official ceremony at Arnhem this year. Mr Foster would have been 87-years-old so men who he would have fought with are very old now or have passed away. That's why there will be no more services after this year.

"Mr Foster would have been taken into Arnhem by glider and would then be an infantry man on the ground. Unfortunately, the soldiers were dropped off so far from the bridge, enemy soldiers had time to come between them and the bridge, which was why it was such a disaster.

"Four men from Bolton died in Arnhem and it looks like we've found another."

Mr Gallagher, a nurse at the Royal Bolton Hospital, will visit Arnhem for the anniversary.

Mr Foster's body is currently being held by the Dutch army in Bussum along with several other unidentified British soldiers.

Mr Foster was in 11 Platoon, B company, 1st (Airborne) Battalion, the Border Regiment.

Of the 10,000 men who took part in the operation to defend the Rhine crossing in September, 1944, 1,200 were killed and 6,642 were taken prisoner by the Germans.