A D-Day veteran has uncovered the story of his “hero” brother-in-law who survived a fire shell attack which killed his First World War pals.

Former Bradford soldier Albert Knapton suffered horrific burns to his entire body in the devastating blast which instantly killed his five-strong team of horsemen, in a scene reminiscent of Hollywood blockbuster War Horse.

Inspired by the film, Royal Navy veteran Ron Bairstow decided to delve into his relative’s history. Using Mr Knapton’s army records and information from the internet, the 88-year-old Royal Navy veteran began to piece together what happened to him while serving on the front line in France.

Mr Bairstow, of Springfield Road, Baildon, said: “I had known Albert – he died in 1950 – and when I saw War Horse, it made me think of what Albert Knapton had been through.

“He suffered severe burns and was lucky to be alive. They were all killed apart from Albert. He was a real Yorkshire hero.”

Mr Knapton joined the Royal Field Artillery, aged 20, only days before marrying his pregnant wife-to-be Ethel Bairstow, Mr Bairstow’s sister.

In France, he was leader of a team of five men, who used horses to deliver cannons, flame-throwers, rocket launchers and other heavy artillery to the men in the trenches.

On one sortie to the front, the team suffered a hit from a fire shell, which immediately engulfed them and their horses in flames.

The force of the blast blew Mr Knapton off his feet and into a water-filled crater.

“They were all killed apart from Albert,” said Mr Bairstow who served in the Second World War. “It was a shell hole full of water and it put the flames out, but not before it had severely burned him all over.”

Mr Knapton was taken to a military hospital where Ethel managed to reach him – hitching a lift on a ship from England – and he began the slow road to recovery.

Mr Knapton lost the sight in his right eye, meaning he wore an eye patch for the rest of his life. He had no hair on his head or body and had a disfigured face.

He was awarded the European War Medal for his service and moved back to Mark Street, West Bowling, Bradford, after the war.

Mr Bairstow said: “It is amazing how he recovered. He still had a caustic sense of humour when I remember him, even with what he had been through.

“How he managed to live through his experiences when so many men didn’t, I will never know.”