The race is on to discover the identity the final 84 unknown Australia soldiers of the Australian 5th Division, buried in a mass grave at Pheasant Wood following the Battle of Fromelles in 1916, and discovered in 2007.
The 84 soldiers, who remain listed on the walls of the VC Corner Cemetery, and possibly at the Australian War Memorial at Villers Bretonneux in France, are among the 250 unknown soldiers discovered in the mass grave at Pheasant Wood, Fromelles, the majority of which have since been identified and reinterred with honours at the Fromelles (Pheasant Wood) Military Cemetery at Fromelles, the newest Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery.
“Those ‘boys’ deserve the basic recognition of their name being inscribed on their headstone, not just for them, but for their families and descendants,” Geoffrey Benn from the Fromelles Association of Australia said.
“The Association members have made it their mission to discover the identities of the final 84 men, through community-based genealogical research, and are calling on members of the public to help. The Association is dedicated to researching the lives of these soldiers and detailing their stories in a digital living history, so future generations can gain an insight our Fromelles history, both good and bad.
“There are more than 100 stories available, with another 600 in development, which contain a soldier’s details and for many, the emotions and memories of their families of 1916. The stories collected from families, researchers and told through soldiers’ letters home are captured in memorial for families to see and connect with.
“No other group are, and have been, able to continue the genealogical research vital for identifications to occur. Thus, we are the boys’ ‘last chance’. The time to access living memory has passed, and now we rely on DNA donors, discovered through research and the collection of stories, photos, artifacts and other memorabilia from Australian families,” Geoffrey added.
“We begin by working with the Australian Army, targeting individual soldiers considered likely to be buried there and then search for the requisite family DNA donor or donors to test the remains against. It’s truly a race against time.
“The Association has helped to identify some of the 166 men from the mass grave so far. With that in mind, the Association has launched a new dedicated website, www.fromelles.info so we can collect, preserve, and store family memorabilia, evidence and information from members of the public, and to help them identify new potential DNA donors.
“Hundreds of hours of meticulous research go into the discovery of just one potential donor. Members of the public with genuine information, or materials, can help to shorten this timeframe, before it’s too late. Our new website is designed to make it easier for members of the public to find out more information and help us identify the final 84.
“They died for their country, it’s the least we can do.”
For more information about the new website go to www.fromelles.info or visit the Association’s Facebook page ‘Fromelles Association of Australia’.
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About the Fromelles Association of Australia:-
The Fromelles Association is a group of volunteers who are searching to match names to lost soldiers who fought in the Battle of Fromelles and who were buried in mass graves by German troops.
Many soldiers were buried in what was then No-Man’s-Land, and in un-named plots after the Battle of Fromelles. Since the discovery of the mass graves it is our aim to have each headstone named with the soldier who lies beneath. The Association seeks DNA samples from possible descendants through our research of family histories and war-time records. For more information visit: www.fromelles.info.