FIVE brothers from the Hollings family of Stanbury served during the First World War.

Only one of them was killed in action – and even he survived until almost the end of conflict.

Private Rennie Hollings was serving with the 2nd Battalion of the Duke of Wellington’s Regiment when he was killed in August 1918.

Rennie, then aged 23, was the second-eldest of the 10 children of Stanbury couple Richard and Ann Hollings.

His parents were informed of his death by Rennie’s friend, Private Jim Ogden of Haworth, later in August.

Rennie had joined up in 1916, and was wounded in the leg the following year and wounded again in spring 1918.

Three months before that second wound, there had been a brief period when all five boys were safe from harm.

The Keighley News reported that Rennie, Tom, Ben and Alfred were at home together on leave, while their brother Harold was on leave in New Zealand after fighting with the Anzacs in France.

Research by Keighley’s Men of Worth Project has revealed that Rennie died while defending the village of Gonnehem.

Rennie was buried at Gonnehem British Cemetery, which was used only from April to September 1918, before the battle moved away from the area.

Men of Worth spokesman Andy Wade said: “This was in the final stages of the war, when things were more mobile in a lot of areas leading up to the finish of the war in November.

“The cemetery was begun in the middle of April, when the German front line came within 3.2 kilometres of the village.

“It was made by fighting units and by the burial officers of the XIII Corps and the 4th Division.”

Rennie is remembered on the Stanbury and Oldfield war memorial in Stanbury Cemetery.