Almost 80 years since it was taken, the image has been sent to the Municipality of San Miniato in Pisa by former US soldier, Edward Roethel, in an appeal to track down the children or their relatives.

Over 90 years old now, Roethel served in San Miniato in World War II, between 1944 and 1945.

Unfortunately, the veteran does not remember the names of the children who he captured in the image.

The mayor of San Miniato, Simone Giglioli, has since distributed the photo in the hope that someone comes forward with more information on the children in the photo.

“When we received this request, we set out to try to help this veteran reunite with the children in the image, who should now be around 80 years old,” Giglioli said.

“The only thing that Edward remembers is that he was employed in the Fifth Army and arrived in Naples in December 1944.

“He was later sent to San Miniato, but he was unable to give us a date of the months he spent in our city.

“From the elements we observed in the shot, it seems to us that it was taken right in Piazza Mazzini, near the Palazzo Comunale.

“Unfortunately, the photo gives no clues that can lead us back to any particular place; the door could be any door in our historic centre and there are many like it still today.

“From the clothes worn by the children, we believe the photo was taken in summer, but we have not been able to help Edward much more.

“If anyone recognises themselves or a relative in the photo, I ask you to come forward.”

At the time the photo was taken, there were many families in San Miniato that had been displaced from other areas of Tuscany, making the search even more complex.

“Your help is essential,” Giglioli said.

“We would like to fulfil Edward’s wish and allow him to contact these children – it’s a beautiful story yet to be discovered.”

Earlier this year, a 97-year-old retired American soldier was reunited with three Italian siblings who he almost accidentally killed in 1944, during World War II, in the Bologna area of northern Italy.

Martin Adler was put in contact with Bruno, Mafalda and Giuliana Naldi – all now in their 80s – last year, speaking with them for the first time in more than seven decades.

The search began when Adler asked his daughter Rachelle to try and track down the three children from a black and white photo, taken with the then 20-year-old soldier in 1944, to see if any of them were still alive.

It was a long shot, given that Adler did not know the siblings’ names or that of the town he had met them in.

Miraculously, within days the three siblings were tracked down, thanks to social media and a touch of good luck.

It is hoped that Roethel can experience a similar reunion with his own mystery photo subjects.