Fromelles soldiers

BullyBeef

Reburial of Fromelles soldiers 'an overdue honour'
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/world/reburial-of-fromelles-soldiers-an-overdue-honour-20100130-n4u9.html

arnhem44

I remember reading this when they first identified the grave,here's some from the BBC on this

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8488984.stm

johnny_doyle2

the Commonwealth War Graves Commission has a microsite for the work being done at Fromelles with an option to receive email updates :

http://www.cwgc.org/fromelles/

BullyBeef

Yes I recall some news around the time but had not followed much of it up until the other evening when on BBC home services was a short program , im sure in time more information will come on line.
I can only relate it to a situation of one of my grand fathers brothers who went missing in action at Gallipoli ,time passed & obviously it was a case of missing in action presumed dead.
Well the war drew to a close & people returned back to the homes they had left , I believe my grandfather & his siblings who did survive were left somewhat frustrated by the not actually knowing of the truth , any way couple of years later a stranger arrived at the house asking if it was the rite place & could he speak to my grandfather ,unfortunately he was at work but never the less he was quiet insistent ,so my grandmother walked him to see my grandfather at his place of work.
Once the initial introductions were over he explained that he was out in Gallipoli & that my uncle had been wounded etc then he went on to tell about the Turks action that resulted in this group of wounded men being killed . Its something I have been told a few times but im sure it was a great help in some way to my grandparents & family by finally knowing the truth of the matter & obviously it had been playing on the mind of the old soldier who had at his own time & expense traced them & made the journey to bring the final news.


http://www.cwgc.org/fromelles/?page=englis.../press_releases

January 31 – 2010
REBURIALS BEGIN
Today is a very important day in relation to the battle of Fromelles, for today the first reburial has taken place in the new graveyard at Fromelles. Over the coming weeks and months each of the soldiers who were buried at Pheasant Wood will be reburied with full military honours.
http://fromelles.com/

http://www.worldreviewer.com/travel-guides...romelles/57279/
WW1 soldiers reburied in France
The first of 250 unknown British and Australian soldiers whose bodies were dumped by the Germans in mass graves in northern France during World War I was reburied today with full military honours.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaki.../breaking27.htm

OzCam

[Australia's] Parliamentary Secretary for Defence, Senator David Feeney, today paid his respects to nine Australian World War One soldiers at a headstone dedication ceremony in Fromelles, France.

Senator Feeney attended the ceremony at the Fromelles (Pheasant Wood) Military Cemetery to mark the 96th anniversary of the Battle of Fromelles and joined relatives of the men as named headstones were dedicated.

“This is another significant milestone in honouring the men who fought on the Western Front,” he said.

“These men died during the bloodiest 24 hours in Australia’s military history—and almost a century on, we can finally give them, and their families, the dignity of a known grave.”

This latest nine Australian soldiers were identified by name in March this year and are among 250 Australian and British soldiers who are buried in the Fromelles (Pheasant wood) Military Cemetery.

When added to the 110 Australians identified in 2010 and 2011, this brings the total named soldiers to 119—all of them Australian.

Another 92 have been identified as unnamed Australians and two soldiers have been identified as serving with the British Army. Thirty-seven more remain ‘known unto God.'

“I am very pleased to be able to share this moment with family members of Australian soldiers—it is proof that no matter how many years have passed, Australians do not forget those who have sacrificed their lives in time of war,” Senator Feeney said.

The Army’s Fromelles project team will continue to work towards identifying all of the 250 soldiers discovered near Fromelles in 2009 until 2014.

Relatives of soldiers who died in the Battle of Fromelles are encouraged to contact Army, in the hope that they may be able to contribute to efforts to identify the remaining 131 men.

For more information, visit www.army.gov.au/fromelles



Details of the nine soldiers are below:
PTE Leonard Broadhurst
PTE Robert Forland
PTE John Forrest
PTE John Goulding
PTE William Jamieson
PTE Arthur Johnson
CPL Alfred Tuck
PTE Claude Ward
PTE John Wynne

tac foley

RIP.

My grandfather is not so far away from them.

tac