Families and Friends of the First AIF

The posting of 17 June DNA Contractor appointed advised of the appointment of LGC Forensics to collect and analyse DNA samples from the remains of the British and Australian soldiers buried by the Germans at Pheasant Wood following the Battle of Fromelles in July 1916. If this proves viable, then DNA samples will be collected from potential descendants to match with samples from the soldiers.  This posting gives more detail of the process and notes that media interest in the DNA analysis and identification process has also been growing with the LGC Forensics report on the viability of DNA profiling due this week. Clicking on each word that is italicised and underlined will take you through a link to additional information.

Photo: Steve Allen, Managing Director of LGC Logistics and David Richardson, Fromelles project manager acting for the British and Australian Governments, sign the contract.  Behind, Peter Singh of the Australian High Commission and Tracey Vennai, United Kingdom [CWGC]

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s remembering Fromelles website announced that LGC Forensics wins Fromelles DNA contract and provided a link to the joint media release by the Australian Ministers Greg Combet, Minister for Defence Personnel, Materiel and Science, and Alan Griffin, Minister for Veterans’ Affairs.  This media release was also carried on the Australian Army Fromelles website under the Resources tab.

DNA model [Source www.csb.yale.edu]  

According to its website, LGC was founded in 1996 following the privatisation of the Laboratory of the Government Chemist and is now owned by the management and staff and funds managed by the investment group LGV Capital. LGC Forensics is one of its Divisions and one of its specialities is DNA profiling. The website indicates that LGC have developed a portfolio of DNA techniques that can use very small amounts of DNA and degraded DNA to establish DNA profiles which will presumably be relevant to the testing of DNA samples taken from the remains of the British and Australian soldiers buried by the Germans at Pheasant Wood following the Battle of Fromelles in July 1916.

From DNA analysis and Molecular Genealogy by Dr Peter Jones

An outline of the how DNA profiling is to be used to identify as many of the remains recovered at Fromelles as possible by determining if the DNA profile matches that of living relatives is available in the article DNA analysis and Molecular Genealogy by DNA expert Dr Peter Jones on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s remembering Fromelles website.

From DNA analysis and Molecular Genealogy by Dr Peter Jones

For those who wish to have further understanding of the use of DNA techniques, useful web sites include:
The International Society for Genetic Genealogy;
Kerchner’s DNA Testing & Genetic Genealogy Info and Resources Page;
Genetics & Genealogy – An Introduction With Some DNA Case Study Examples; and New Jersey State Police Office of Forensic Sciences.

LGC Forensics commenced a pilot study in early May to determine viability of the DNA in the remains and it is anticipated that the results of this pilot study will be available by the end of July 2009.

An important step in attempting to identify as many of the remains recovered at Fromelles as possible is to attempt to match the DNA profile with those of living relatives.

The Australian Army Fromelles website advises that “All registered relatives will soon receive a letter asking them to plot their position in the family tree of their relative who died in the Battle of Fromelles. This is so Army can ask the DNA experts to identify those relatives who will provide the best chance of a DNA match to a soldier from Pheasant Wood.”

There is much interest in this process and descendants have now been identified for more than 140 of the soldiers and efforts are continuing to trace and contact descendants. Many of these descendants have already provided this information to the Fromelles Descendants’ Database team and the Australian Fromelles Project Group has requested that descendants who have registered with Army should start gathering the necessary detail to complete this request so that this stage of the project can be completed as quickly as possible.

Media interest in the DNA analysis and identification process has also been growing as the LGC Forensics report on the viability of DNA profiling approaches.

DNA from old grave sites has an interview recording and transcript of the ABC Science Show interview with Dr Alan Cooper, Director for the Centre for Ancient DNA at the University of Adelaide, 18 July. Dr Cooper specialises in the recovery of DNA from ancient human specimens and is concerned that an early deadline won’t allow complete analysis to be done.

Diggers’ smiles may help identify remains quotes Queensland-based forensic pathologist Professor Peter Ellis from Griffith University (Queensland), who has recently returned from assisting the team at Pheasant Wood confirming protocols and procedures. Professor Ellis indicated that photographs showing the smiles or teeth of British and Australian soldiers thought to be buried by the Germans at Pheasant Wood would be useful in helping to identify the soldiers. The soldier in the newspaper photograph is incorrectly named and is Private Clifford Dawson HOLLIDAY of the 54^th Bn. Photographs of more than 80 of the 191 Australian soldiers on the Australian Fromelles Project Group “working list” are shown on the Fromelles Descendants’ Database website.

The article also quotes James Walker from LGC Forensics as saying that DNA profiles had already been recovered from some remains.

Fromelles relatives anxiously await DNA report in the Herald Sun by Neil Wilson and Charles Miranda, of 22 July notes that relatives of soldiers buried in WWI mass graves at Fromelles are anxiously awaiting a report on the viability of using DNA identification due within the next week and quotes the spokesman for the relatives, Melbourne-based Lambis Englezos as saying “We’re hoping that a high proportion of the remains found will have DNA traceable, so it can be matched with the descendants. These descendants are anxious this be possible before the bodies are due to be buried next July at a new cemetery in Fromelles – they don’t want anything rushed to meet that arbitrary deadline, they want proper burials with names.”

The results of the DNA analysis are also being watched from across the Tasman in New Zealand with the report in The Dominion Post DNA-to-identify-old-soldiers-remains.

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The Families and Friends of the First AIF thanks the Australian, UK and French governments for affording Australian and British soldiers buried in mass graves at Pheasant Wood by German soldiers following the Battle of Fromelles on 19/20 July 1916 dignified individual reburials in a new CWGC cemetery at Fromelles, and applauds the joint decision to DNA test the remains at exhumation and use every reasonable method to attempt identification of each soldier.

As outlined in the 10 July posting Fromelles Claims Response, there have been a number of recent media articles reflecting on aspects of the exhumation, identification and reinterment of the Australian soldiers at Fromelles. This posting provides an update on this debate.  

Photo: Excavation of burial pits, Pheasant Wood [CWGC]

In early July Fairfax Press journalist Paolo Totaro claimed that the project at Fromelles “to exhume, identify and rebury 400 Australian and British World War I soldiers found in a mass grave in a French battlefield is in crisis after a Defence Department decision to use a cut-price contractor” in her article Reburial project in crisis. The article drew a number of other responses, most notably an assurance from the Prime Minister of Australia, Mr Kevin Rudd, committing his Government to making “doubly certain” that the exhumation, identification and reinterment of the Australian soldiers at Fromelles is being handled properly, and a joint supporting statement by the Minister for Defence Personnel, Materiel and Science and Minister for Veterans’ Affairs and a project update from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission that are detailed in the RECENT NEWS item PM Reaffirms Fromelles.

Subsequently, Australia.to NEWS posted an article by Grant Triffett Convenor / Administrator of the Fromelles Discussion Group, as Don’t Forget Me Cobber (and now removed).  This article reiterated the claims made in the Fairfax Press and also referred to comments by the head of Adelaide University’s Centre for Ancient DNA, Dr. Cooper, who expressed fears that inappropriate forensic DNA techniques may be tried at the excavation site to get quick results.

This resulted in a response from Chris Bryett, President of Recovering Overseas Australia’s Missing Inc (ROAM), Fromelles crisis. Support for Oxford Archaeology as recovery continues that was posted on the website Australia.to News on 10 July and reported in the posting of 10 July as Fromelles Claims Response .

There have also been project updates on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website on 14 July and 18 July . 

There have also been project updates on the Australian Army Fromelles website on 14 July and 21 July . 

In addition, The Hon. Greg Combet AM MP, Minister for Defence Personnel, Materiel and Science issued a statement Update on Progress of Fromelles on 16 July.

This was reported in the Fairfax Press as Fromelles excavation ‘back on track’, July 16 2009.

This was also reported in Australia.to NEWS as The archaeological excavation operation at Pheasant Wood in Fromelles

Australia.to NEWS also carried an apology for the inaccurate content of the letters to the editor as  Fromelles war grave recovery proceeding as planned by Oxford Archaeology – Apology.

The report states: Oxford Archaeology continues to work at the location of a World War One battle site where several hundred British and Australian Servicemen are buried.
Australia.to recently published two “Letters to the Editor” which unfairly and inaccurately described the performance of Oxford Archaeology in its fulfillment of the contract to recover the war dead. 
Australia.to and the editors apologise to Senator Combet, Oxford Archaeology, its staff, workers, local contractors and relatives of the servicemen as information from Oxford Archaeology has come to hand which clearly shows that the work is proceeding satisfactorily and that the content of the letters to the editor was inaccurate and that a retraction is warranted. 

It goes on to present Oxford Archaeology’s rebuttal of Grant Triffett’s article. Read the detail by clicking here.

The UK Ministry of Defence also issued an update on 17 July that is posted on the Oxford Archaeology website as Artefacts found at Fromelles provide clues to nationality of WW1 soldiers.

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The Families and Friends of the First AIF thanks the Australian, UK and French governments for affording Australian and British soldiers buried in mass graves at Pheasant Wood by German soldiers following the Battle of Fromelles on 19/20 July 1916 dignified individual reburials in a new CWGC cemetery at Fromelles, and applauds the joint decision to DNA test the remains at exhumation and use every reasonable method to attempt identification of each soldier.

UPDATE ON PROGRESS AT FROMELLES

Greg Combet, Minister for Defence Personnel, Materiel and Science, today announced that the project to recover and re-inter Australian and British World War One soldiers discovered in France remains on track.

Over 100 sets of remains have now been retrieved and the original estimate that the site held up to 400 soldiers has now been revised to approximately 300.

The archaeological excavation operation at Pheasant Wood in Fromelles began in May 2009 and is due to be completed in September 2009.

Four of the eight burial pits have been fully excavated and the team from Oxford Archaeology have commenced work on two of the remaining four.

“These soldiers are being treated with the utmost care so that we ensure that their sacrifice is being honoured in the process,” said Mr Combet.

“In addition to the recovery of remains, methodical and thorough analysis of artefacts buried with them will assist in the possibility of identification of the soldiers who died 93 years ago.

“Many items are being found with the soldiers that indicate the force in which they served but identification of individuals will rely on a combination of anthropological, archaeological, historical and other scientific data.”

Mr Combet is anticipating results of a pilot study to sample DNA from the remains by the end of July.

“I am hopeful that a successful result will be returned and DNA matching with living descendants can assist in the identification process.”

If people believe that they are relatives of a soldier who died at the Battle of Fromelles, they are encouraged to contact the Australian Army on (free call) 1800 019 090, or visit http://www.army.gov.au/fromelles/to register their interest.

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The Families and Friends of the First AIF thanks the Australian, UK and French governments for affording Australian and British soldiers buried in mass graves at Pheasant Wood by German soldiers following the Battle of Fromelles on 19/20 July 1916 dignified individual reburials in a new CWGC cemetery at Fromelles, and applauds the joint decision to DNA test the remains at exhumation and use every reasonable method to attempt identification of each soldier.

Photo: Oxford Archaeology Team at work. [CWGC]

Chris Bryett, President of Recovering Overseas Australia’s Missing Inc (ROAM) and FFFAIF Member, who was one of the key people supporting Lambis Englezos in his efforts to convince the Australian Army to investigate the claim that following the Battle of Fromelles in July 1916 the German Army had buried up to 400 British and Australian soldiers in pits “before Pheasant Wood”, near Fromelles, has responded to the issues raised in the article Reburial project in crisis by Fairfax Press journalist Paolo Totaro. His detailed response comments that:

• in evaluating the tenders for the exhumation, which was awarded to Oxford Archaeology, lower cost “does not of itself warrant the inference that cheaper is also of lower quality”;
• the assertion that “the lack of a contingency plan for drainage and toxic groundwater dispersal have derailed the dig at Fromelles, silting soldiers’ remains and graves and potentially lifting vital artefacts from their original resting place” is not supported by evidence and that the evidence is to the contrary i.e. the graves were kept dry and cites the information on the Oxford Archaeology website as evidence of a the comprehensive approach taken to drainage and ground water treatment;
• the approach to forensic work and the need to prevent contamination of DNA during the exhumation requires special protective measures;  and
• assertions that the preparations for the exhumation process had not been completed when the media was invited to an open day when Oxford Archaeology officially began work in May does not mean that they were not ready when needed.

In his response Fromelles crisis. Support for Oxford Archaeology as recovery continues that is posted on the website Australia. TO News , Chris also responds to comments made by the Convenor/Administrator of the Fromelles Discussion Group, Grant Triffett.
 
The Fairfax Press article has drawn a number of other responses, most notably an assurance from the Prime Minister of Australia, Mr Kevin Rudd, committing his Government to making “doubly certain” that the exhumation, identification and reinterment of the Australian soldiers at Fromelles is being handled properly, and a joint supporting statement by the Minister for Defence Personnel, Materiel and Science and Minister for Veterans’ Affairs and a project update from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission that are detailed in the RECENT NEWS item PM Reaffirms Fromelles.

The Families and Friends of the First AIF thanks the Australian, UK and French governments for affording Australian and British soldiers buried in mass graves at Pheasant Wood by German soldiers following the Battle of Fromelles on 19/20 July 1916 dignified individual reburials in a new CWGC cemetery at Fromelles, and applauds the joint decision to DNA test the remains at exhumation and use every reasonable method to attempt identification of each soldier.