Remains found at WWI 'mass grave'

[Anth]

Remains found at WWI 'mass grave'


Some 5,000 Australian soldiers were killed, injured or captured at Fromelles

Archaeologists in France excavating the suspected mass grave of hundreds of British and Australian World War I soldiers have found human remains.

The dig at Fromelles has uncovered body fragments, including part of a human arm, but experts believe the site may hold the remains of almost 400 troops.

They died during a disastrous mission in north-east France in July 1916.

Many relatives are anxious for the team to find their loved ones so they can finally be given a proper burial.

Bloody failure

The Battle of Fromelles was intended to divert German troops from the Battle of the Somme which was raging 50 miles to the south.

But due to poor planning, the mission was a complete and bloody failure which greatly soured relations between the Australians and their British commanders.

For Australia, Fromelles saw one of the single greatest losses of life in the whole of the war.

In total, 5,000 Australians were killed, injured or captured, with around 2,000 lives lost in the first 27 hours of fighting.

Alongside them, some 1,500 British soldiers were also killed.

A young Adolf Hitler, then a 27-year-old corporal in the Bavarian reserve infantry, is believed to have been involved in the operation.

The dig, by Glasgow University Archaeological Research Division (Guard), is examining ground near woods where it is believed the Germans buried the dead in pits.

With Australian soldiers standing guard close by, the team is sifting through the soil for bone, weapons and uniform fragments. So far remains have been found in five of the eight burial pits.

Peter Barton, a WWI historian involved in the dig, said he hoped to be able to determine the nationality of any remains found. "By looking at fragments of uniform, experts can tell whether they are British or Australian because they had different buttons," he said.

Mr Barton said that after the battle the dead soldiers' personal possessions had been removed by the Germans and eventually returned to their families.

He said it was "possible" more personal items could be uncovered if the Germans had "missed anything".

German stretchers

Tony Pollard, head of Guard, said markings in the ground showed the shape of the German spades that were used to cut the burial pits.

And he said metal rings from German stretchers used to carry the bodies had also been found.

Major General Mike O'Brien, who is overseeing the dig, told the BBC the battle had been "a disastrous day" for Australia, with "terrible casualties".

"On the other hand, the aim of the battle was to distract the Germans from reinforcing the battle of the Somme and you could look at that as one of the achievements of the battle - but an achievement at a terrible price." Maj Gen O'Brien said the "slow and methodical" excavation was important for the whole of Australia.

"If the remains are still here, we need to find out the number and condition and perhaps decide whether there is a better way of commemorating them than leaving them here just as they are in this field," he said.

On the site of the nearby battlefield stands a statue of an Australian soldier carrying a wounded comrade.

In a local cemetery, the remains of 410 unidentified Australians are buried alongside the names of 1,300 others who have no known grave.

The work is being overseen by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and has the consent of the French, British and Australian governments.

If a mass grave is discovered, the countries must decide whether to exhume and rebury the bodies in a new cemetery, or to leave them in place but build a memorial on the site.

BBC News Link

[Glynda]

Please help me find where Jesse Hubert Thomas was killed and buried. Army ww1 soldier born july 07,1894
died Sept.13,1918 his body was never returned to USA.
Any information would be helpful. Thank you. Glynda

[Bluehawk]

Originally Posted by Glynda

Please help me find where Jesse Hubert Thomas was killed and buried. Army ww1 soldier born july 07,1894
died Sept.13,1918 his body was never returned to USA.
Any information would be helpful. Thank you. Glynda

I'll try to help you.

Look at this 1951 link for Joseph Hubert Thomas (WWII KIA), and see if it rings any bells:

BE PLACED ON PLAQUE

I'll keep looking, and whenever I find anything, I'll post it here.

Hopefully, you'll check back in from time to time.

I suggest also that you PM your question to our member ollie, who is a professional military historian, for some ideas on where to look.

[Bluehawk]

Glynda...

IF the date of his death is correct, September 13, 1918... and IF he was in the Army... then there is a good chance he was killed during the Battle of St. Mihiel, unless he was involved in some other part of the war elsewhere.

Link:
St. Mihiel: First Attack of the US First Army

In that case, he may have been a member of the 89th, 1st or 42nd Divisions, of the First Army.

I'll try to find out where the American KIA from that battle were buried in France, since you believe he was never brought home.

[Bluehawk]

He may have been buried at the American WWI cemetery at Thiacourt, which is where many or most of the KIA from St. Mihiel were laid to rest.

Link:
American Battle Monuments Commission

[Bluehawk]

Glynda...

It would help to be sure of which State he would have been from - the State where he was born, or the State where he signed up for the draft, or the State where he enlisted or was drafted?

It is fairly customary among the military to regard the State of one's birth as their home State.

Also, be mindful, there are only about 35,000 or so names known to the battlefield commission and those are on the monuments they oversee. If memory serves there were about 165,000 American casualties in WWI, so the difference in numbers is significant, and it may be that he was buried, if at all, in some other cemetery.

I say, "if at all", because at times there are no remains to be buried... especially following heavy bombardments. At those times, I believe that a headstone can still be erected and a name inscribed on it if there was some official verification of the death.

[Bluehawk]

Assuming, again, that your information about him is accurate (including the spelling of his name), then there is also another possibility that he may have been buried in a cemetery which was dedicated to the unit or Division he served with, as in the following examples:

Link:
AEF Monuments, Memorials & Cemeteries

If there is ANY other detail about him you might share, or know, then that could be key to finding him... such as, what was his race, what did he do in the war (infantry, artillery, tanks, medical corps, air corps etc.)?