A Great Harwood soldier’s letter from the trenches has been unearthed by his grandson - exactly 96 years after it was written.

Derby man Pedro Lorente was going through some family papers when he found a letter he had never seen before from his grandfather, Tom Jackson, a soldier in the First World War.

It was written to his grandmother, Miriam, and recounts his experiences serving as a Bombardier in the Trench Mortar Battery (TMB).

By a strange twist of fate, the letter, written in 1916, is dated March 14 - the same date when it was found by Pedro.

He said: "I knew my granddad had links to Lancashire and I remember my father taking me to the county when I was younger.

"It’s strange reading something on the same day he was writing it – only 96 years later. It made me think a little about things."

Part of the letter reads: "The town was being shelled by the Germans. It is a place about the size of Accrington, and all in ruins. The Germans occupied this place but they have been driven out."

Another section reads: "Nothing but mud and ruins and soldiers, but of course we don’t get to go sight-seeing.

"We don’t go anywhere, only where the fighting is on."

The letter goes on to describe the lighter side of life as a soldier. It reads: "When the snow was on the ground, we could send snowballs over at the Germans.

"We are very close to the German trenches here and either us or the Germans will have to hop it soon and I don’t think it will be us."

Pedro said: "There is a real spirit in the letter which makes me very proud and it has been remarkable finding it."

Pedro’s grandfather survived the war and moved back to Great Harwood where he worked in various mills.

He then moved to Derby in the 1930s before dying some 30 years later. Pedro added: "I am really proud of him and what he did and I feel it’s important people know about these things.

"Since finding it, I have really developed an interest in the war. And it’s still relevant today as we are, of course, at war at the moment, with soldiers risking their lives."