The grave of a Scottish soldier who went missing during the Second World War has been identified more than 80 years later.

Private Vincent Coia, who was born in Glasgow and worked as a shop assistant before the war, was killed during the Battle of Normandy aged 19.

He arrived in France just before the Normandy landings on June 6, 1944 and died fighting alongside The Seaforth Highlanders to capture a hill near Caen.

His remains were identified by ‘war detectives’ from the Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre (JCCC) at the Ministry of Defence.

Rosie Barron, a researcher at JCCC, said: ‘It has been an honour to have organised these rededication services and to have played a part in giving these families answers as to what happened to their relatives. The local community in Normandy has been very welcoming of both the families and the military party.

‘For them the Battle of Normandy is not just commemorated but celebrated as the moment that they regained their liberty after four long years of occupation. The sacrifices made by these men were not in vain.

‘There are many graves in Normandy which may yet be identifiable with further investigation, so this work will continue into the future.’

Barron and her team checked commonwealth war records, lists of missing soldiers and battalion war diaries to map the fighting around the hill and find that Coia was the only Seaforth Highlander reported missing on June 11 1944.

Private Vincent Coia went missing during the Battle of Normandy in July 1944

She said Coia would have fought through heavy shellfire and machine gun fire on the day he died.

‘Thirty-four men of his battalion alone were actually killed on the same day as him in the same action,’ she said.

‘They were trying to seize Hill 112 … high ground like that is heavily prized for observational benefits by both sides.’

‘It’s a question of going through all the other missing of the same regiment and just ensuring that you can’t place any of them at the same location,’ she added.

A rededication service for Pte Coia’s grave, which was previously marked with ‘a soldier of the 1939-1945 war’, took place at Bayeux War Cemetery in France on Wednesday with a piper from the Royal Regiment of Scotland’s 2nd Battalion. Coia still has family in Glasgow but they could not attend his ceremony.

A rededication ceremony was held at Commonwealth War Graves Commission Bayeux War Cemetery, France

He was one of five war dead to have their remains commemorated this week after their remains were identified.

Reverend Paul Collins, Chaplain to 5th Battalion The Rifles, conducted the services and said: ‘It is my privilege to be able to be part of these rededication services. These brave soldiers gave their lives in the events following D-Day which led to the liberation of France and the defeat of the Nazis.

‘It is fitting that due to the hard work of the JCCC Commemorations Team and others, we now know who these soldiers were and where they are buried. The graves now bear their names for all those who visit in the future to see and remember.’

Meanwhile, relatives also gathered in France to witness the burial with full military honours of two Scottish soldiers of World War One and four of their unknown comrades.

MoD war detectives used DNA to identify the two some 108 years after their deaths.

All six men were laid to rest on Friday.