The first soldier is reburied at Fromelles

Home

The ceremony to rebury the first of the 250 Australian and British soldiers recovered from Pheasant Wood commenced at 11:00 am on 30th January at the new Fromelles (Pheasant Wood) Military Cemetery. The first soldier was buried with full military honours in the presence of the people of Fromelles and dignitaries from Australia, the United Kingdom and France.

After the ceremony, OA South was presented with a Certificate of Appreciation by the Australian Army. This recognised the ‘methodical, tireless and meticulous work’ carried out by the Fromelles team during its sixteen-week excavation, which uncovered the remains of 250 individuals, and subsequent anthropological investigation. Chief of the Australian Army, Lieutenant General K J Gillespie, noted OA’s ‘dedication to excellence’ and ‘exemplary standards’.

David Jennings accepts the Certificate of Appreciation from Maj Gen Paul Symon

David Jennings, OA’s Chief Executive Officer, accepted the certificate from Major General Paul Symon, Deputy Chief of the Australian Army. Dr Louise Loe, who led the project in the field for OA, also received congratulations from Alan Griffin, the Australian Federal Minister for Veterans’ Affairs

Reburials will continue throughout February, and in March a specially convened identification board will consider evidence to determine what, if any, level of identity can be attributed to each soldier based on the historical, anthropological, archaeological and DNA evidence. The last soldier’s remains will be buried at the final commemorative event and dedication of the new cemetery on 19 July 2010 – the 94th anniversary of the Battle of Fromelles.

For more information go to Remembering Fromelles and Australian Army websites:

Louise Loe is congratulated by Alan Griffin

[ Back ]