The teenage girl in the little French town never forgot the handsome British soldier who befriended her family during the Second World War.

Seventy years later, she found herself sitting in a room in her local town hall, clutching photographs the soldier had sent her.

Now aged 87, Lily Molet has met the daughter and grand-daughter of the British serviceman she knew back in 1939, after they travelled to France to try and track her family down.

The journey started when Beverley Clegg, of Denholme, was contacted by her Aunt Joan, who lives in Sydney, Australia.

“She’s over here for a few months and she asked if I’d take her to France to try and locate a family that her father – my grandfather – was friendly with during the war,” says Bev.

“I thought it sounded like a wild goose chase, but I agreed to take her, as she wanted to see the war graves in France as well.”

Bev’s grandfather, Frederick Barnes, was stationed in Auby, a town in northern France, from 1939 to 1940 and became friendly with the Molet family there.

The young soldier went to church with them and enjoyed meals at their home. He and the teenage children, Joseph and Lily, often went to the cinema together.

After the war, Fred kept in touch with the Molets. “He and my grandmother, Gwen, wrote to them until they emigrated to Australia in 1950, when they lost touch,” says Bev.

Joan, who still lives in Australia, had the name of the Molet brother and sister in Auby. When she and Bev arrived there last month, they went to the town hall to ask for help in tracing the family.

“I don’t speak much French and my aunt can only say ‘bonjour’, but one of the town hall staff spoke a little English,” says Bev. “Although my grandad knew Louise as Lily, the town hall found a Louise Molet. They telephoned her – and it was the one we were looking for!

“Louise was, in fact, her real name. Not only did she still live in Auby, she had never married so had the same surname. She was shocked that relatives of a soldier she knew back in 1939 were in the town hall looking for her!”

It was arranged for Bev and Joan to meet Louise the following day.

“We arrived at the town hall, flowers in hand. Everyone was excited and they took us into a room they use for weddings, and made us coffee,” says Bev.

“There was Louise, smiling at us. She took an envelope out of her pocket in which she had four photographs. One was of my grandparents on what we think was their wedding day – she’d had it since 1941.

“When my aunt picked up the photo, she said: ‘That’s Mum and Dad!’ I don’t know who was more surprised and excited – Joan or Louise. Louise shouted out: ‘Fred Barnes!’ “I was touched that she’d kept photographs my grandad sent all those years ago.”

Adds Bev: “It was wonderful to meet Louise. My aunt, who’s 75, had heard so much about her father’s friendship with the family when she was growing up, and she remembered the letters the families sent.

“For many years, she’d dreamed of going to Auby to meet Joseph or Louise, but, knowing they’d be in their late 80s, she wasn’t convinced she’d find anyone. Now here she was with Louise.”

Although there wasn’t a wartime romance, as Fred had already married Bev’s grandmother Gwen, Louise and her family were fond of the dashing British soldier.

“We understand from someone who spoke a little English that Joseph always thought my grandad would make a suitable husband for Louise!” says Bev.

“It was sad to hear that Auby was later occupied by the Germans, who worked Joseph almost to exhaustion. He never really recovered. He became a priest, but died from heart problems in 1957, aged 37. He’s buried in Auby cemetery with his parents. Louise became a teacher.” Bev and Joan’s arrival caused quite a stir in the little town. “The town hall looked after us so well,” says Bev. “They arranged for a reporter and photographer, and an article is appearing in the town’s magazine this month. We’ve kept in touch with Louise and I’ve sent her some family photographs.”

For Bev, the trip to Auby was a journey in more ways than one. “I didn’t even know my grandad was stationed in France,” she says. “When my aunt asked me to go to France with her, I didn’t think it would come to anything, but it turned out to be an amazing experience.

“It was good to find out more about my grandad’s past. When the Germans occupied Auby in 1940, he and his regiment left, and it’s understood they were part of the Dunkirk evacuation. He never talked about the war, but he was stationed in northern France at the time of Dunkirk.”

Fred, who served with the East Lancashire Regiment, later emigrated to Australia with Gwen and their three daughters, Joan, Marion and Maureen. Fred died in 1987 and Gwen died in 2002.

“They came back to live in Britain with their younger daughters, including my mum, Marion,” says Bev. “Joan, the eldest, stayed in Australia and now Maureen lives there too.”

The three sisters – Joan, Maureen and Marion – were recently reunited at a family party in Riddlesden.

“It’s been lovely to see my aunts again,” says Bev. “I hadn’t seen Joan for 17 years, so going to France together was a nice way of getting to know each other, as well as finding Louise. It has brought me closer to my family’s past.”