A TEAM of British and Australian war veterans will lead an archaeological expedition in France next year in what will be the first major dig of the Battle of Bullecourt in almost 100 years.

The move aims to solve the mystery of the fate of a dozen British tanks that were deployed to support the 1917 assault of the German line by the Australian 4th Division but disappeared - leading to the slaughter of the Diggers in one of the biggest defeats of the Great War.

News Corp Australia has learned the French government has granted the British Ministry of Defence an extraordinary permit to conduct an exploratory survey next month of the ill-fated battlefield in northern France. Further access will be sought for a full dig to take place in early 2017, coinciding with the centenary of the battle.

Such formal digs are rare given the sensitivities of upsetting locals but moreover the likelihood of unearthing human remains, with tens of thousands of soldiers having no known grave. The more recent discoveries, including mass unmarked graves at Fromelles, stem from accidental uncovering by local farmers rather than formal digs.

Also unique will be the use of war veterans from both Britain and Australia to conduct the sensitive work; the project stems from an award-winning program in the UK providing injured military personnel a chance to volunteer, learn a new skill in a military-style unit and operation.

British Ministry of Defence senior archaeologist Richard Osgood, whose grandfather fought for the AIF in WW1, said revered Australian historian Charles Bean recorded roughly where the tanks were and pieces are in various museums including Canberra but their precise fate was largely unknown.

“We definitely have permission from the French government, the mayor and landowner to do the survey so that’s definitely happening in October and I will take British military veterans for that with me,” Mr Osgood said.

“That is permission to do survey so that’s all geophysics, soil chemistry so that’s great and should give us some really good pointers then hopefully next year we go in the centenary period with Aussie and British vets.”

Formal talks to have Australians involved in the proposed two-week dig project have already taken place with the Australian Defence Force liaison officers based in the UK and Canberra.

Of the potential to inadvertently uncover human remains, Mr Osgood said there were set protocols to follow.

“If we did the field work the likelihood is we would not find complete individuals although the probability will be remains,” he said.

“You stop work, you call the French police who ensure it is not a murder, who get in touch with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission who work out strategy for recovering them best, usually with a forensic team.”

The First Battle of Bullecourt on April 11 1917, was a disaster with the tanks failing to reach the German lines. Without artillery support, Australian troops were slaughtered with more than 3000 casualties.

The Second Battle of Bullecourt on the same ground on May 7 saw Australians capture the German trenches. But after two weeks with 150,000 troops in battle from both sides, 18,000 Australian and British troops were killed or wounded.