Remembrance Sunday: Identities of lost war heroes uncovered after decades
Dozens of British and Commonwealth war heroes whose identities remained a mystery for decades have finally been identified by Ministry of Defense (MoD) “war detectives” ahead of Remembrance Sunday.
A total of 52 personnel killed in action during the First and Second World Wars have been named through meticulous historical research and advanced DNA testing.
Additionally, 33 previously unidentified people were rediscovered and buried.
This important study, carried out by the Ministry of Defence’s Joint Casualty and Compassionate Center (JCCC), recognized those serving in the British Army, Royal Marines and Royal Air Force.
While some received formal burials as unknown soldiers, others lay where they fell without a marked grave for much of the last century.
Of the 85 soldiers commemorated at funerals and dedication ceremonies this year, 74 fought in the First World War and 11 in the Second World War.
The youngest of the identified casualties, Constable Francis Dominic, was only 19 years old when he was killed in Normandy in August 1944.
The oldest was Sergeant Henry Ashton, a career soldier and former railway worker from Derby, who died in Lens, France, in 1917, aged 44.
The British Army used the word sergeant as the spelling of the rank until the mid-1950s.
Rededication ceremonies to honor the rediscovered wounded will be held on 12 and 13 November at St Symphorien Military Cemetery in Mons, Belgium.
A rededication ceremony will be held for Sergeant William Augustus Fritz of the 4th Battalion of the Royal Fusiliers, who was martyred in the first conflict of the First World War on 13 November.
On the morning of 23 August 1914, Sergeant Fritz’s battalion was located north of Mons and was holding outposts along the canal at Nimy.
German forces attacked and his battalion suffered heavy losses of approximately 150 men, including Sergeant Fritz, who was only 34 years old when he died.
He left behind a wife and children who will never know what happened to him.
The ceremony will be attended by soldiers from the 1st Battalion of the Royal Infantry Regiment and the 5th Rifle Battalion, as well as personnel from NATO’s nearby European headquarters.
At the memorial service, JCCC caseworker Rosemary Barron said it was “a privilege” to help identify staff.
Ms Barron said: “As the nation pauses this week to remember the soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice in war, it is a very poignant time to rededicate the graves of these brave men.
“All of these men left behind families who mourn their losses and face unanswered questions about their true fate.
“It’s a privilege to be able to do the work we do and bring these soldiers’ stories to a fitting conclusion.”
Additional reallocation services will be held in Belgium on 12 November for Lieutenant Norman Frederick Hunter, Sergeant George Goodson Moore DCM and Private George Hall. All three were killed in World War I.
Lieutenant Hunter, a golf enthusiast from Edinburgh, has died aged 36 after being fatally wounded in an attack on Lake Bellewaerde near Hooge.
Sergeant Moore, 21, from Southwark in central London, was a brass musical instrument maker who was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for his actions leading up to the bombing raid near Heninel during the Battle of Arras on 11 April 1917. His remains were discovered near Polygon Wood, Belgium.
Pte Hall, from Stratford, Essex, died aged 31 when his battalion came under heavy bombardment on 27 October 1918, just two weeks before the 11 November armistice.
Defense Secretary Lord Coaker said: “We must always remember those who sacrificed their lives for peace and freedom, and our present-day armed forces personnel who protect this precious heritage.
“The work of the MoD’s war detectives is a vital part of keeping the memory of our fallen heroes alive.
“Every November, our armed forces re-commit to defend our peace, freedom and way of life, drawing on the inspiration of their predecessors.”
The JCCC’s investigations were carried out in collaboration with the armed forces, the National Army Museum and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
