French Canal Project may Unearth Great War Soldiers’ Remains

26 May

A major canal construction project planned through the heart of the Somme battlefield in northern France is expected to unearth the remains of soldiers, including Australians, killed in the First World War.

The five billion Euro project will establish a new trade transport link in the region, and the construction provides a rare opportunity to recover the remains of some of the 100,000 soldiers from both sides, still missing in the area, which was the scene of many intense battles on the Western Front.

The Returned & Services League of Australia (RSL) President Greg Melick says the RSL is aware of the Seine-Nord Europe Canal construction project the likelihood of it uncovering the remains of soldiers who have had no known grave for over a century.

“Many of these may be of Australian soldiers who fought and died there, and we have faith that the French authorities and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission will handle matters with sensitivity and respect,” Greg Melick said.

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission has already announced that it is extending the Loos British Cemetery in France to provide burial space for hundreds of additional casualties. It says extensive efforts will be made to identify as many of the recovered remains as possible and to find the soldiers’ descendants.

“This is a narrow but essential window of opportunity and the RSL stands ready to assist where it can.

“Potentially hundreds of remains of Commonwealth, French and German soldiers who died during the First World War and remain underneath the former battlegrounds, can be recovered as part of the project, and the Commonwealth soldiers’ remains pass into the safekeeping of the War Graves Commission.

“Hopefully, many of these casualties of both sides, may be identified and all re-interred with dignity and honour befitting their sacrifice,” Greg Melick said.