And so it happened to the Cotton family of Branxton, where eight brothers fought during that war and all of them survived.

Rob Cotton, 84, of Branxton has carefully collected photographs of his family’s involvement in the war.

And he is searching for campaign details of one of the brothers in particular – his father Benjamin Cotton.

“I think Dad and his seven brothers must have been extraordinarily lucky,” Mr Cotton said.

“All eight of them joined up, fighting with Maitland’s 34th Battalion.

“And they all came out of it unhurt.

“After that war, Dad joined the Volunteer Defence Corps in World War II as the Japanese were edging closer to Australia.

“He was a lieutenant in charge of 30 soldiers and they manned a searchlight section in the Branxton area.

“I know my dad and his brothers saw action in different parts of Europe.”

After Armistice Day, a proud British War Department arranged a family gathering with all the ­brothers and their parents in England.

Mr Cotton treasures that photograph.

“Dad was 19 when he came to Australia from England and he conducted a store and mail run at Branxton for 22 years,” he said.

“He was a night officer at a railway siding near Branxton when he enlisted in the army in February 1916.

“After basic training in Rutherford with Maitland’s 34th Battalion, Dad went to France where he spent three years.

“Now I am trying to trace details of my dad’s war record and those of his brothers, so I will know more of what they went through.

“I know very little of what they all did, but if anybody was lucky in that terrible war, they certainly were.”\

Hunter Region soldiers feature in the Faces of Anzacs memorial wall, which is live across almost two hundred Fairfax websites throughout Australia and New Zealand.

The site bears the names, suburbs and ages of Anzacs. Their stories, and memories, have been submitted by readers of our digital network.

The wall is searchable by name and location, has social media sharing, and can be viewed on mobile.