A FAMILY who visited the grave of the youngest British soldier to die in the First World War may be related to the fallen soldier.

John Condon was just 14 when he was killed on the bloody battlefields of Flanders.

The boy soldier lied about his age to sign up and is believed by many to be the youngest person killed during the war.

The Condon family of Earls Colne think they are related to John and went to visit his grave during a trip to Ypres.

He is buried at the Poelcapelle cemetery in Belgium with a headstone which states he was the youngest.

Danny Condon, of Priory Street, Earls Colne, has been looking into the links.

He was too ill to make the Four Colnes Horticultural Society trip to Belgium, but his son, Andrew, and grandson, 15-year-old Ash, went in his place.

The grandfather said: “Research is ongoing, but my father was from the same area of Ireland as John, near Waterford.

“The Condon family was very small at the time John went off to war, although it is more spread out now.

“Researching the history is very difficult as the Irish record office burnt down in the Twenties.

“John must have been 13 when he enlisted. It is surprising no one noticed.”

As well as visiting the grave, vistors also heard the 30,000th sounding of the Last Post at the Menin Gate, which has been played every evening since 1928.

They also went to the trenches at Diksmuide, and visited the town of Ypres and the Flanders Museum in the Cloth Hall.

Trip organiser Andrew Crane said: “It was quite an occasion.”

The proceeds from the trip will be added to the Earls Colne Poppy Day Appeal Fund.