Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
did anyone watch finding the lost battalions on channal 4 last night at 8pm.it was a highly factull programe about the missing.on the out skirts of fromelles they found a mass grave belived to contain up to 400 bodies,in a retriving and revilling dig they found 250 with about 50 being named through dna.all have now been buried in a new cematry a couple of yards away from where they were found,first new cematry for about 50 years,there are still another 1400 missing soldiers in the area.it ended on a sad note with a nice of one of missing found her uncle on a memorial for the missing at loos cematry.well worth watching on i-player.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
i missed the programme but saw the news item, many of the troops were australian.
australia refers to the battle as the blackest day in their history.
Brian Dixon- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
true howard,but some of the austrailians where brits who moved there for a new life.talking of brits,most of the unknowns are brits who need to be identified through dna.so if you got a gap in your famly tree contact the cwgc you never know you might have a lost relative buried at fromalles,you have got 4 years to do so.
Guest 693- Registered: 12 Nov 2009
- Posts: 1,266
I recorded it on the Sky+ box, Brian. Looking forward to watching it, perhaps later today.
True friends stab you in the front.
Brian Dixon- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
andy best thing you ever did worth watching over and over again.might be a good idea to write it to disc for futcher referance.
Guest 694- Registered: 22 Mar 2010
- Posts: 778
ohh for petes sake.. i knew there was something i wanted to watch...!!
Grrr... Channel4 OD coming my way soon..
and i have no idea if G G Uncle William is actually in his hole.. poor fella..
Brian Dixon- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
in which cematry jenni.
Guest 694- Registered: 22 Mar 2010
- Posts: 778
Ohh good lord.. now you are asking..
LIJSSENTHOEK MILITARY CEMETERY
Lt A W Hartshorn, Arthur William, bless him, only 27, a year older than me.. left behind a son as well..
dont get me started on ww1 i get really annoyed at the useless waste of young lives... but.. hey ho..
Brian Dixon- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
i know that one quite well,having visited it many times.all though annoying its very sad that so many young men [and women] died so young for what turned out a senceless war.
It was also an inevitable war that may have been avoided if we hadn't turned our backs on what was happening in Europe.
Brian Dixon- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
jenni.just been on the commonwelth war grave site and found your great uncle at lijssenthoek.
it reads as follows,
hartshorn aw
age 27
machine gun corps
98th coy
dont worry he is in good company,there are 10755 buried in the cemetry,the cemetry is not far from my faverite watering hole poperinge.
if you want directions go to the cwgc web site type in the cemetry and it will turn up with all the info you want,all info is printable.
Guest 694- Registered: 22 Mar 2010
- Posts: 778
Aww thanks Brian... been climbing the family tree for several years so know it well , was one of the first things i did when i got that far back and found a photo of him in uniform.
Alas... without a passport I shall not be going anywhere... and without a job even less likely to do it as well. Will get there one day, pretty sure I have a picture of his father visiting the grave between the wars.
Back to the topic, I have spoken to a mate of mine who works at the CWGC and he has said since the documentary there have been lots of families who have come forward wanting to give DNA incase of further discoveries which is fab!! Soo pleased and helping CWGC
Brian Dixon- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
jenni,
ps,just a foot note machine gun crews was a dodgy ocupation in ww1 german infantry used to seek them out,they where prized kills.naughty though.
Guest 694- Registered: 22 Mar 2010
- Posts: 778
Not that dis similar to now adays I can imagine, our lads in where ever they are like to find the source of firing and eliminate, I cant blame them, it was either kill them or be killed. Doesnt mean we worry any less however..