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Read this in today's newspaper, thought it might interest a few.

They died to set us free and this haunting picture (there is a photo in the paper of a piece of army uniform with 3 buttons attached) of a tattered strip of uniform is a symbol of that tragic loss.
It belonged to an Australian soldier, one of 5,553 men massacred near the village of Fromelles in July 1916.
He was one of 400 British and Aussie men buried in an unmarked grave, hastily dug by the Germans.
This week experts started carefully exhuming the First World War bodies from the field in northern France. Using forensic technology, advanced DNA techniques and intensive research, the team hopes to identify each soldier and give them the military burial they deserve.
Red and yellow flags mark the location of the graves in a field and labs are ready to retrieve the first human remains. The position of each body will be recorded and photographed before it is lifted from the grave.
From there they will be washed and dried in controlled conditions, before technicians work to calculate each individual's biological profile. Each fragment recovered will be X-rayed. Any artefacts found such as kit parts or toothpaste- which has been unearthed near the area- will help with identification.
Anthropology leader Caroline Barker, working for Oxford Archaeology, said the five month project aimed to identify the dead.
"Our primary concern is to ensure no damage is done to the bodies. Once a body is surveyed, and documented, it is lifted. The process shows how much respect we have for the dead."
Ms Barker already knows that the bodies are lying side by side, over two layers, at a depth of around one yard. Her team will work in from the edges, with one forensic scientist per body.
The families of at least two fallen men hope their bodies are among those recovered and properly buried. Maureen Eden, 57, of Warrington, Cheshire, is the great niece of Private Joseph Humphries believed to have been killed at Fromelles.
She said: "It's so sad. His wife lived to 96 without ever knowing what happened to his body." And Leslie Chippett, 85, nephew of Private Arthur Chippett, said: "I'd love to know what happened. I never had the chance to know him."
So far 40 British and 100 Australian families have contacted military authorities to say their loved ones may be among the dead.
The dig is being overseen by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and next year the bodies will be permanently laid to rest in individual graves at a new cemetary nearby.
Allied infantry trying to stop Germans troops reaching the Somme were cut down in broad daylight by heavy machine gunfire.
The massive loss of life at Fromelles is thought to have achieved little in terms of warfare.


It also has a small paragraph titled FALLEN HERO- Those who think they may be related to a soldier at Fromelles should phone Historic Casualty Casework on 01452 712 612


Stephanie.

How good that someone still thinks it's important to identify these men

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Maureen
If you can't fight, wear a big 'at

People like us?

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Mel

Searching for lost relatives? Win the Lottery!

I think I'd draw the line at digging up bodies

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Maureen
If you can't fight, wear a big 'at

I'd love to go on an archaeological dig. When I first started going to the meetings, there was a man who was studying archaeology.

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Mel

Searching for lost relatives? Win the Lottery!

Yes there was, I wonder what happened to him. Wasn't he going to do some excavation near Extwistle Mill. I think Roger was getting some money for it through the History Society.

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Gloria

I'd be dangerous with a brain.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstop ... grave.html

DNA tests begin to identify Fromelles dead from mass grave
DNA tests will begin this week on the remains of hundreds of British and Australian soldiers killed in the First World War's Battle of Fromelles.
By Aislinn Simpson
Published: 7:00AM BST 10 Aug 2009

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

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.

Veterans minister Kevan Jones said the tests were "an important step forward" in the identification process of the largest mass grave to be uncovered since the Great War. Other clues will come from casualty records and artefacts found in the graves, including a heart-shaped leather pouch with a solid gold cross inside and a second class return ticket from the Australian embarkation point for Europe at Fremantle to Perth.

"DNA is just one part of the identity puzzle," he said. "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 mass burial site in May last year after a limited excavation revealed pits which had lain untouched for more than 90 years.

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 and try to put names to the remains.

The Battle of Fromelle saw an attempt by the newly arrived Australian 5th Division and the inexperienced British 61st (South Midland) Division to break the German line which had been held around the town for most of the war by the 6th Bavarian Reserve Division, which including a 27-year-old Adolf Hitler in its ranks.

By the end of the two-day battle, some 7, 000 Australian and British troops had been killed, wounded or taken prisoner.

:: Anyone who believes they may be related to a British soldier killed at Fromelles should contact the Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre by calling 01452 712612 extension 6303 or emailing fromelles@spva.mod.uk

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Mel

Searching for lost relatives? Win the Lottery!