Summer 2013
Page 4
Reburial of South African Soldiers at Tyne Cot
Three unknown South African soldiers, who died while fighting on the Western Front in 1917, were re-interred during a ceremony at Tyne Cot Cemetery in Belgium on 9 July 2013. The ceremony was open to the public. The service was organised by the South African Embassy, located in Brussels, and the South African Force. The remains of the three soldiers were found near a brick factory in Zonnebeke at the end of 2011. Indications are that these soldiers were never formally buried, but that their graves were covered during battle by mortar/artillery fire. Based on objects recovered, including unit insignia, as well as the location of the find, the remains were accepted as that of three unknown South African Soldiers that formed part of the 4th Regiment South African Infantry.
Five headstones in Fromelles rededicated
The newly identified soldiers, Private William Barber, Private Thomas William Francis, Private William O'Donnell, Private Thomas Henry Bills and Private John Gordon McKenzie, were among 250 Australian and British First World War soldiers who were recovered from a mass burial site at Pheasant Wood in France. The soldiers were recovered by a joint Australian Army and UK Ministry of Defence project team in 2009, before being reburied in the newly constructed Fromelles (Pheasant Wood) Military Cemetery in 2010. (pictured below) The Commonwealth War Graves Commission erected new headstones with the identified soldiers' details, ahead of a dedication ceremony which took place d ur i ng t he a n nu a l commemoration of the Battle of Fromelles on 19 July 2013. The identification of the five soldiers was confirmed by the joint Australian Army and UK Ministry of Defence project team. The Battle of Fromelles was the first major engagement fought by the Australian Imperial Force in France. The 5th Australian Division suffered more than 5500 casualties (killed and wounded) in twenty four hours. The British 61st (South Midland) Division reported over 1,500 killed, wounded and missing. No tactical advantages resulted from the action.