DNA tests begin in bid to identify fallen heroes buried for 93 years

Published on Sunday 9 August 2009 21:59

DNA tests will begin this week to identify the remains of hundreds of British and Australian soldiers killed in the First World War and give them proper burials.

Between 250 and 300 bodies have been found in mass graves in northern France, where they were buried by German forces after the disastrous 1916 Battle of Fromelles.

The soldiers' remains are being exhumed and will be laid to rest with full military honours in individual graves at a new Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery nearby.

The soldiers had been stripped of their identity tags and buried by German forces in eight pits, seven miles south of the French-Belgian border.

Key staff from Scotland helped with what has been one of the largest exhumations in recent history, and one of the largest modern mass graves that was not the result of genocide.

The majority of the archeologists, radiologists and anthropologists involved in the recovery scheme are from Oxford University, but the initiative has been led by Robert McNeil and Alison Anderson from Glasgow, international experts in body recovery and identification who have worked for the United Nations in Bosnia and Kosovo.

Veterans minister Kevan Jones said: "This is an important step forward in the process of trying to identify the First World War soldiers buried at Fromelles.

"DNA is just one part of the identity puzzle. Our experts will be examining all available evidence in their attempts to confirm the identities of these men. Each one of these soldiers will be laid to rest with the dignity they deserve, and we owe it to them to do all we can to identify them."

The land at Pheasant Wood, near the village of Fromelles, was confirmed as a group burial site in May last year after a limited excavation revealed pits which had lain untouched since the battle more than 90 years earlier.

Work to excavate the grave got under way three months ago and a full archaeological excavation of the site is expected to be completed by the end of September.

An identification board will convene in March next year to consider the evidence available. The hope is to use casualty records, DNA tests and artefacts – such as kit parts – found in the ground to assign identities to as many of the bodies as possible.

Among the personal items excavated from the graves are a heart-shaped leather pouch containing a solid gold cross and a copper alloy crucifix, and a train ticket from Fremantle to Perth, where soldiers from Western Australia signed up for duty.

Should identification not prove possible, the headstones will carry the regimental emblem and in some cases the words "unknown soldier".

The Battle of Fromelles, which began on 19 July, 1916, was the first major battle on the Western Front involving British and Australian troops. It was intended to divert German troops from the Battle of the Somme. A 27-year-old Adolf Hitler was among those on the battlefield.

But the enemy positions were well defended, and in broad daylight, the Allies found themselves heading into volleys of machine-gun fire. Records suggest the Australians lost 1,780 troops and the British 503 between 19 and 21 July.

&#149 Anyone who believes they may be related to a British soldier killed at Fromelles should contact the Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre by contacting 01452 712612 extension 6303 or [e-mail]