The origins of the museum date back to 1990, when the Association pour le Souvenir de la Bataille de Fromelles set up an initial voluntary museum in the town hall. A large collection of objects and documents was kept there.
Large-scale archaeological digs
Following historical research carried out by French and Australian researchers, a campaign of digs financed by the British and Australian governments was undertaken at Fromelles in 2009. The aim was to exhume the bodies of 250 British and Australian soldiers buried in mass graves near Pheasant Wood. DNA samples were taken in order to identify the bodies.
A new museum is planned
In 2010, a new cemetery was built by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) to accommodate the 250 dead soldiers in individual graves.