The waiting is over for tragic family

It emerged during the trial that Perdovich had often been absent from work because he was receiving treatment for injuries sustained in the trenches, and had been cautioned by Mr Franks as a result.

Keen to escape the tragedy, several members of the Franks family emigrated to Australia and Canada, and the different branches of the family lost touch.

Mr Benoliel, 28, grew up hearing the "strange story," and became more interested in his family history after his father died in 2006. His research led him to write Waiting Like A Man, which is currently being staged at a London theatre.

But he was not expecting the play to bring him closer to an unknown relative. When Jill Whitehead, the great-niece of Solomon Franks' wife Betsy, spotted a small advert for the show, referrring to the Franks murder, she got in touch with Mr Benoliel. The two, who are second cousins, have exchanged emails and now hope to meet in person.

In an unlikely twist, Ms Whitehead had also been investigating her family tree, using the JC's archives, and recognised Mr Franks' name. She had known of Mr Benoliel's father, but had no idea that he had had a son.

"I just happened to see the unusual name and I knew we had a connection," said Ms Whitehead, who was not brought up Jewish but has long been interested in her Jewish origins.