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April 11th, 2013 
Peter Nolan
Updated
The remains of another five Australians killed during the Battle of Fromelles in World War I have been identified.
The Battle of Fromelles was the were the bloodiest 24 hours in Australia’s military history, with over 5,500 diggers killed or wounded.
The recently identified soldiers were among 250 Australian and British soldiers who were recovered from a mass burial site at Pheasant Wood in France.
The soldiers’ bodies were recovered in 2009 and reburied in the Fromelles Military Cemetery the following year.
There are now 124 Australians who have been identified from the site.
“It is important that we are able to identify these soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice and to provide an opportunity for closure to their families,” Veterans’ Affairs Minister Warren Snowdon said.
“These additional identifications reflect the dedication of a great team and demonstrate how the latest scientific methods and extensive research can produce outstanding results.”
Mr Snowdon paid tribute to families of those diggers who remain unaccounted for.
He says the diggers’ descendants have been vital to the identification process.
“We are encouraged by these latest successful identifications which were made possible by the large number of extended family members, both in Australia and overseas, who provided DNA samples,” he said.
“We currently have more than 3000 family members’ details in our records but we still need more.
“We remain hopeful that we will be able to identify more soldiers in coming years.
“If you think you might be related to a soldier who remains unaccounted for from the Battle of Fromelles, please contact the Army.”
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission will prepare new headstones with the soldiers’ details for a dedication on July 19 during the annual commemoration for the Battle of Fromelles.
Topics:
world-war-2,
history,
community-and-society,
france,
australia
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Source Article from http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-04-11/fromelles-diggers-identified/4623996
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