WWI soldiers to be exhumed from mass graves

The excavation of six mass graves at Fromelles is due to start in May 2009 and is expected to take up to six months, after which all the bodies will be permanently laid to rest in individual graves at a new Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery.

The UK's Veterans Minister Kevan Jones and his Australian counterpart, Minister for Defence Science and Personnel Warren Snowdon, announced this week that the excavation of the graves will be undertaken by Oxford Archaeology.

The mass war graves, which are believed to contain the remains of up to 400 individuals who died in the battle, were discovered in 2008.

Veterans Minister Kevan Jones said:

"We are pleased to announce that work will start in May 2009 on the archaeological excavation at Pheasant Wood as Oxford Archaeology has been successful in securing this important work.

"There has been a particularly close and amicable working relationship between our two countries on this project to excavate potentially 400 sets of human remains from the WWI burial site."

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission is overseeing the project on behalf of the UK and Australian Governments.

Mr Jones added:

"By the end of the project in 2010 all the bodies will be permanently laid to rest in individual graves at a new Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery at Fromelles. Wherever it is possible to identify the remains, named graves will be provided."

Warren Snowdon, the Australian Minister for Defence Science and Personnel, said:

"The Australian and British Governments will share the cost of the Pheasant Wood excavation, which is expected to take up to six months depending on several factors including the weather, soil conditions and the actual number of remains recovered.

"The awarding of this contract means that planning can begin in earnest for the excavation to commence in May this year and I look forward to work commencing that will ultimately see our brave soldiers fully honoured and laid to rest."

British and Australian families who believe they have connections to, or information on, the soldiers who may be buried at Fromelles are being encouraged to come forward to assist with the process.

DNA samples will be taken from a small cross-section of the remains to determine the viability of a larger testing programme, and the potential for a formal identification.

The Battle of Fromelles began 19 days after the opening of the Somme campaign. It was the first major battle involving Australian and British troops on the Western Front. The 5th Australian Division suffered 5,533 casualties, of which 1,917 were killed, and the 61st British Division suffered 1,547 casualties, either killed, wounded or taken prisoner.

The destruction of the majority of British WWI Service records during the Blitz in 1940 has made it difficult to establish who may be buried at Fromelles.

The main British regiments involved in the battle, and therefore the most likely to have men buried at Fromelles, were the Gloucestershire Regiment (now The Rifles), the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry (Ox & Bucks) (now The Rifles), the Royal Warwickshire Regiment (now The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers), the Worcestershire Regiment (now The Mercian Regiment), and the Machine Gun Corps (disbanded and no modern equivalent).

Anyone believing they may be related to British soldiers buried at Fromelles should contact the Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre, Historic Casualty & Deceased Estates Casework, Service Personnel and Veterans Agency, Building 182, Imjin Barracks, Gloucester GL3 1HW, Email: jccchistcasso3@spva.mod.uk, Tel: 01452 712612 Extension 6303.

The Australian Department of Defence has developed a working list of the First Australian Imperial Forces soldiers it believes may be buried at the site and is encouraging relatives to register their details. See Related Links >>> for further information.