The train ticket was found tucked in a gas mask pouch near the Australian soldier's remains and told the story of a journey home that was never made.

The folded piece of paper for travel by rail from Fremantle to Perth is one of the most telling items recovered alongside skeletal remains from a mass grave of World War I soldiers in northern France.

Working under a white marquee in a muddy field, a team of 30 archeologists and forensics experts have been unearthing remains over the past three months and finding clues about the soldiers' lives.