Fromelles excavation ends after 250 bodies found

September 10, 2009
Article from: The Australian

THE bodies of 250 Australian and British soldiers have been recovered from
a World War I mass grave in France at the end of a four-month excavation.

The unidentified troops killed in the 1916 Battle of Fromelles, near the city
of Lille in northeastern France, will now be reburied with full military honours
in a new cemetery close to the site. DNA samples have been taken from the
remains and potential relatives are being sought to help identify the fallen
troops. Minister for Defence Personnel Greg Combet said: "A total of 250 sets
of remains and 1,200 artefacts have been excavated from six graves.

"While identification of the remains is an extremely complex process I remain
hopeful that we will be able to identify a number of those that we have found.''
British veterans minister Kevan Jones said the remains had been recovered
with the utmost care and respect. "Now we will do everything we can to try to
identify each and every one of these fallen soldiers,'' he said. "What is most
important is that these men are laid to rest with full military honours and the
dignity they deserve.'' The remains were found during excavation work in May
2008. It is believed that 250 to 300 Australian and British soldiers were buried
there by German forces after the Battle of Fromelles.

The July 19, 1916 clash was the first major battle on the Western Front to involve
both British and Australian troops. In all some 1,547 British troops and 5,533
Australians were either killed, wounded, taken prisoner or reported missing.

The date stands out as Australia's bloodiest day in military history. Oxford
Archaeology, which carried out the excavation, will wind up its work on Monday.
The remains will stay in their on-site laboratories while experts log all the details
to help with the identification process, expected to take many months.
"Each grave will be marked by a headstone following the formal identification process,''
the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said. "If the soldiers can be identified by name
their relatives will be able to add a personalised inscription on the headstone
at a later date.'' A list of those servicemen who may be among the dead is on
the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website.



The MoD is encouraging anyone who thinks they may be related to one
of the soldiers to come forward. The public reburials will take place every other
day throughout February 2010. Costs are being shared by the British and
Australian governments.