Soldiers found in Fromelles WWI mass grave to be reburied
1 Aug 08
Plans to re-bury soldiers found at a mass grave from World War One in Fromelles, France, last month, were announced by the British and Australian Governments yesterday, 31 July 2008.
Veterans Minister Derek Twigg in Fromelles, France, where British and Australian First World War dead artefacts were discovered last month
[Picture: MOD]
The soldiers from the two countries, believed to number up to 400, will be re-buried in individual graves in a new cemetery that will be built on the site of, or as close as possible to, the mass grave by Pheasants Wood on the edge of Fromelles, northern France.
The exhumation and re-interment will be carried out under the auspices of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Planning work will be put in hand immediately and a timescale for the work to recover the remains is expected to be announced later this year.
Derek Twigg, Veterans Minister, said:
"It is right and proper that those brave men who lost their lives at Fromelles are buried with the honour and dignity befitting their ultimate sacrifice. The new cemetery will be a lasting tribute to their bravery and a place of pilgrimage for families who lost a relative in the battle. It will ensure the memory of their actions lives on for future generations."
First World War artefacts found around Fromelles, France, on display in the local museum
[Picture: MOD]
The mass war grave was discovered by an amateur historian in Australia and confirmed by a team of archaeologists from Glasgow University on behalf of the Australian Government with support from the British Ministry of Defence and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
The limited excavation carried out earlier this year in May and June confirmed the presence of large numbers of human remains of both British and Australian soldiers.
The site was covered over at the end of the two-week exploratory dig pending a decision on the way ahead.
The battle of Fromelles took place over 19 and 20 July 1916. The 5th Australian Division suffered 5,533 casualties and the 61st British Division suffered 1,547 casualties during the 24-hour battle.