Decades-Old Mystery of War Heroes Solved
In a profoundly moving development ahead of Remembrance Sunday, the identities of dozens of British and Commonwealth war heroes, lost for decades, have been recovered. The Ministry of Defence's dedicated team of 'war detectives' has successfully named 52 personnel killed in action during the First and Second World Wars and have rediscovered and laid to rest a further 33 previously unidentified individuals.
A Century of Waiting Ends
This meticulous work, undertaken by the MOD’s Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre (JCCC), has finally brought recognition to those who served across the British Army, Royal Marines, and Royal Air Force. For much of the past century, some of these soldiers had lain where they fell, while others had received only anonymous burials as unknown soldiers. This year, through funeral and rededication services, a total of 85 soldiers are being commemorated, including 74 from the First World War and 11 from the Second World War.
Among those now remembered are the youngest and oldest casualties identified. Trooper Francis Dominic was just 19 when he was killed in Normandy in August 1944. The oldest was Serjeant Henry Ashton, a 44-year-old career soldier and former railway worker from Derby, who died in Lens, France, in 1917.
Ceremonies of Remembrance and Rededication
Special rededication services to honour these rediscovered casualties are scheduled for 12 and 13 November at St Symphorien Military Cemetery in Mons, Belgium. One service will honour Serjeant William Augustus Fritz of the 4th Battalion of The Royal Fusiliers, who was killed in the first action of the First World War on 13 November 1914. Aged just 34, he left behind a wife and children who never learned his fate after his battalion sustained heavy casualties north of Mons.
Additional services will be held for Lieutenant Norman Frederick Hunter, an avid golfer from Edinburgh killed at 36; Serjeant George Goodson Moore DCM, a 21-year-old brass instrument maker from Southwark awarded for his bravery; and Private George Hall from Stratford, Essex, who died aged 31 just two weeks before the 1918 Armistice.
Rosemary Barron, a commemorations case worker for the JCCC, stated it is “a privilege” to help identify the personnel. She added, “All of these men left behind families who would have mourned their loss and who were left with unanswered questions... It is a privilege to be able to do the work we do and bring these soldiers’ stories to a fitting conclusion.”
Defence minister Lord Coaker emphasised the importance of this work, saying, “We must always remember those who laid down their lives for peace and freedom... The work of the MoD’s war detectives is a vital part of keeping the memory of our fallen heroes alive.”
